It's Hard Being an MVP's Son
by Neku.GrandChase
Summary: Chapter 11! Thanx for all the support peeps! The first cut of the journey of the MVP wanna-be's! Now to get to my other fics....
1. History

Oh, Yeah! This is my first RO fic (more specifically pRO or Philippine Ragnarok Online) that I made. I'm dedicating this to those hard working battle acolytes like me who has managed to break the Job Level 40 barrier (ha! I laugh at the faces of other melee fighters who settle for job 40 only! Shame! Shame!), it was only because I was still waiting for the Juno Update when I'll have become a monk. Then I can punish that sorry guild that messed with my hair the other day when the Guild War was set.  
  
I'll have your heads you guild!!!  
  
Anyway, I was trying to recall the time when my battle acolyte days were still fresh, but I decided to create a non-factual fic first about my character (pRO character Odin Server: Tiger God Byakko). The idea was damn too good to pass up so I decided to do it will I had the drive to write in my mind.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Ragnarok Online. This is the property of Master Lee-Myoung Jin and Gravity Corporation. pRO belongs to its publisher Level Up! HOWEVER I do own anything within my sorry account, which means my character, is seriously mine and the character names I will use here are actually real people in the Philippine Odin Server. I'll have to give credit to them later on and I might mention some guilds, which are very much famous in our locale.  
  
The environment (street sales, guild attitudes, etc.) is simultaneously happening at the time I wrote this fic so, you will have a quick view of what is happening in the pRO world.  
  
This is just a pilot plot, however my character's life story is made up! Get it?  
  
Dedicated to my hardworking 'sin companion, Shadow Eyes (owned by Ragnar Pendon), to my friend Eiseley Fawn Samillano and to my mentor Jhankreuz.  
  
Just tell me if you want me to continue this story coz' I still have another fic that I'm updating. (Forever Promisea Zoids VanxRaven yaoi fic...yeah its yaoi so sue me! If you want to check it, just proceed to Anime CategoryZoidsRated R)  
  
Good luck reading!  
  
Oh, by the way... here are some things you might be confused about in this fic, and in this chapter.  
  
Eddga ( the Tiger MVP monster) has a wife named the Sohee Mistress (a rare MVP monster that I made up and has no power to respawn) Tiger God Byakko (my battle acolyte) is supposedly a demi-human who was able to pass himself as normal. Deep inside, he is the son of both MVPs. The story goes that Eddga once resided in the Payon Caves level 4 when he met Sohee Mistress, the reason he never left for the mountains again. Sohee Mistress looks like a normal Sohee, except that she is all white. (Her hair, clothes, and skin) Her mob is 4 Sohees and 4 Leib Olmais (whom Eddga sent for extra protection) An MVP loses it's ability to respawn once he/she gives birth (again I made that up)  
Here are the basic stats for Sohee Mistress just for the humor of it...  
  
Name: Sohee Mistress  
Strength: 84 Size: Medium  
Agility: 179 Property: Ice 4, Demon 4  
Dexterity: 145 Weakness: Holy, Wind  
Intelligence: 99 Aggressive: No  
Vitality: 30 Magic Sense: Yes  
Luck: 30 Base Exp: 3904994 Job Exp: 405938  
  
Skills: Counter Attack, Double Attack, Consecutive Attack, Storm Gust,  
Frost Diver, Splash Attack(innate), Sandman Attack(innate, sleep  
attribute) Suicide  
  
Drops: White Hair (50%) Elunium (45%) Oridecon (30%) Skirt of Virgin  
(25%) Dagger of Chastity (20%)  
Mother's Wish (10%) Sohee Mistress Card (0.01%)  
  
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Chapter 1: The Long History  
  
"My dear...the humans are coming to hunt us down...our child will no longer be safe inside Moonlight's Lair..." Eddga hugged his wife the Sohee Mistress.  
  
"I'm sorry my love, but the time has come for you to leave the darkness of this cave. Go back to the mountains where both of you will be safe..." Sohee Mistress looked at the bulky tiger with her ebony eyes.  
  
"If only Moonlight was here, but she hasn't been back from her trip to the Glastheim castles along with Cat'O'Nine Tails..." Eddga looked back at the child carefully laid in the corner of the cave, who was still sleeping.  
  
"You must go now, I will defend this cave alone if I have to, but I cannot risk the safety of our child. My attendants will help me..."  
  
"No! You do realize that you won't be able to respawn back when you are defeated..." Eddga said with furious concern and worry.  
  
"Eddga..." Sohee Mistress hugged the orange tiger as she whispered softly in his twitching ears. Her breath was cold and misty. "For the sake of our child, I would die for both of you...I will not be a good parent for him but I trust you will be one. Promise me you'll take care of him."  
  
She drove a pin she took from her bundle of hair into Eddga's neck. Eddga began to draw back as his visions dimmed, seeing his wife smile before passing out.  
  
"I...love...you..." Eddga shed a tear before going to sleep.  
  
"I love you too..."Sohee Mistress covered her mouth as she wept for them. She took the babe from its nanny Hydra as she planted a soft kiss on her child's forehead.  
  
"You'll grow up with the understanding of our race, and the persistence of your father. You will learn the human arts and you will grow up to be a fine person someday, I hope you will never forget where you came from or who I am..." Sohee Mistress brushed her child's tiger markings on his right cheek, saying her goodbyes as she gave him to the waiting Lieb Olmai.  
  
"Go! The humans are nearby! Take care of my husband and child!" The ashen woman commanded the nodding great bear as he and the others retreated with the fallen figure of their master. Sohee Mistress looked back as the doors in her Sanctuary opened with a party of knights, priests and hunters.  
  
"Lem schcala emir terraza!" Sohee Mistress raised her right hand, summoning all her MVP powers to call upon her Sohee mob, as she brandished her knife hidden in her sleeves. The party just grinned maliciously as they readied themselves as well for the prospect of a good hunt.  
  
A piercing scream was heard deep inside the Payon caves as the fight ended that night. The Munaks and Bonguns grew silent and stayed inside their coffins mourning the death of their second mother. The Sohees wailed throughout the third level of the cave, realizing that she would never return again.  
  
Eddga continued his dream that the three of them were happily living in the mountains of Payon, his mob had died preventing them from being seen by the passing humans, not realizing that his child had fallen from his grasp and rolled across the dark meadows of the bamboo forest.  
  
The child's sullen cries were the only ones heard throughout the night.  
  
"Well...what is this?" A young priest passed by. His eyes caught the white bundle of silk that lay beside the bamboo.  
  
"A child...in this part of the forest? It's a miracle that the Horongs and Poison Spores didn't attack him. It'd be best if I took him along..." the priest carefully took the child, healing him immediately to make sure that there were no injuries. The child sneezed at the warm energy that flowed from the priest's hands, and then fell asleep again, finding comfort in the warmth that came from it.  
  
"Warp Portal!" The priest clasped a blue gemstone in his hand as it slowly disappeared, only to be replaced by a glowing pillar of light in front of him. He retreated in the light as both vanished without a trace. Eddga had only to realize when he woke up that he would have lost two important things in his life...  
  
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"Hey, guys! It's Byakko the freak!" A novice began teasing him, when he spotted the white-haired novice approach from the Sanctuary.  
  
"Let's throw stones at him!" A novice suggested.  
  
"Silly, we can't do that! Only the Thief classes are allowed to throw stones!" Another retorted.  
  
Byakko just piffed (/pif) at the novices who tried ganging up at him again. True enough, he couldn't blame them... he was unusually strong for his class, he had those strange tiger markings on his cheek that nobody has seen before and his ears reached out like he was wearing Elven Ears.  
  
He remembered once he had a talk with a knight some other day...  
  
"Hey kid! Are those elven ears?" The knight asked Byakko.  
  
"Uh, yeah...guess so..."Byakko replied, blushing hard as he tried to hide his lying sequence.  
  
"Novices aren't allowed to wear them you know..."The knight eyed him suspiciously.  
  
"Well...these are starter elven ears...ehm, some merchant was selling them at the corner and I bought one...he said it came from baby Giearths..."Byakko made a pretty pathetic excuse.  
  
"Oh...ok, no wonder...Uhhh, how about that tiger marking on your cheek... I wanna know what's the quest behind it..."The knight started inquiring again when he noticed the boy was gone. He didn't realize that the boy was behind the puffy tail feathers of his Peco Peco, so he was safe from the prying questions of the knight. Byakko knew the reason to this, as the priest who adopted him way back then later informed him...  
  
"I just found you, Byakko. It was the name given to you by an amulet that was placed in your palms." The priest could no longer hold his conscience from telling the truth to the boy.  
  
"I did some arcane research in the Libraries of Rune-Midgard concerning the strange markings on your cheek. You are no ordinary boy..."  
  
"What do you mean, father?"  
  
"The tiger markings symbolize that you are the son of Eddga the MVP of the Payon forest and mountains. He is a large tiger that smokes a pipe and is supposedly seen roaming around the fields of Payonfild10." The priest explained, well enough for the gaping novice to hear him well.  
  
"But...but how is it I look almost like human? Is my mother a human?" Byakko asked the priest who hesitated to continue.  
  
"Yes and no. Yes, she was once human. And no, she is not a human. She was also an MVP, the Sohee Mistress. Legends say that the Mistress Sohee and Eddga settled deep inside the caves of Payon where their love grew for each other. Sohee Mistress gave birth to a child, thus her virginity was lost and her power to respawn was destroyed. In her weakened state, a party of adventurers who came for her bounty defeated her, her wish and her card..."  
  
The priest looked up to see Byakko leaving the room.  
  
"Wait...let me tank you, Byakko... You'll level up faster..."  
  
"No..."Byakko's eyes grew into small slits. "I want to do this alone..." He said, leaving with his 7 Triple Vital Mace. Off he went to the desert to release his pent-up emotions at what he has heard.  
  
Back to reality...  
  
The novices gaped at the sullen novice as he took on one-on-one a thief bug that stole the apple and carrot that he got from the Poring.  
  
"Give it back! Give it now!!!" Byakko pounded on mercilessly on the insect, which itself also fought back. A few seconds later, the squashed remains of the bug littered the field along with the apple, carrot and a few jellopies that scattered when the insect got busted.  
  
"Whoa, that was cool!" A pony-tailed novice came up to him. Byakko took a second look to see he was male.  
  
"You're new here?" Byakko asked his classman.  
  
"Yeah, came from Morroc for training. I'm ShadowEyes." The boy extended his hand in a gesture of shaking.  
  
"It's a wonder you didn't laugh. I'm Byakko..." Returning back the handshake, he looked on across the fields eyeing a Rhoda Frog that was croaking noisily on the meadow.  
  
"And why would people laugh at you?" Shadow Eyes asked, his curiosity was suddenly piqued.  
  
"10 Strength, 20 Agility, 15 Vitality, 10 Intelligence, 10 Dexterity, 1 Luck. Who wouldn't laugh at that?" Byakko flinched when he noticed ShadowEyes restrained a laugh from coming out of his mouth.  
  
"Mphf!" ShadowEyes finally settled. "You should realize that you're a..."  
  
"Hybrid? Yes, I know that...I'm going to be a battle acolyte..."Byakko cut in as he noticed the other boy was now rolling across the meadow, his hand clutching his stomach as the other laughed like there was no tomorrow.  
  
"Oh that was rich! For a minute there, I thought you said you were going to be a battle acolyte! Heh that would be just the same as a battle mage!" ShadowEyes snickered, settling once again after the hard round of laughing.  
  
"I was, and a battle mage is more specifically called a "Sage". And I don't get it why people would look at hybrids and out of the way builds like we are homosexual or something..." Byakko was now irritated, rising up from his sitting position and began slamming the Rhoda Frog until the spawn came out.  
  
"Then why didn't you plan to be just a swordsman? You could use your strength there, and your vitality is just as good..." ShadowEyes joined the silver haired Byakko as he brandished his 7 Main Gauche against a Poring that tried to loot the Spawn.  
  
"Because...I...promised...a...priest...I will...become...one..." Byakko said in between intervals as he continuously bashed 5 Porings that tried mobbing him. An Unripe Apple fell, much to his delight. The other novices tried getting their hands on it, but Byakko got it first.  
  
"You wish!!! Thank god to the anti-looting system!" Byakko kissed the fifth Unripe Apple that day, as he waved his fists at the would-be looters.  
  
"By the way, what's your level, ShadowEyes?" Byakko looked back at the semi-envious boy.  
  
"Just 12/9."  
  
"Hmm, I'm already 17/10. Want to take on a Rocker? I'll let you join me..." Byakko decided to walk the distance to the Rocker Fields.  
  
"Nah, it's okay. I'll walk it back to Morroc. By the time I get home, I'll be ready to become a thief." His pride kicked in, seeing the higher leveled boy.  
  
"I'll come along. My quest is to find Mother Matilda, they said she hangs out at Morroc..." Byakko said, packing extra supplies on his backpack.  
  
"Fine, just don't kill steal from me..." ShadowEyes said smugly, going back to the streets of Prontera to buy himself a new knife when he would reach his desired job. Byakko just looked on at his 12,000 zennys in his pocket as he wished for the Chain that he saw the other day at the Sanctuary. Only 6,000 zennys more and he'll just have to look for a discount merchant to buy him the Chain.  
  
A few minutes later...  
  
"Peh, there was nothing new in that city." ShadowEyes said in disgust as Byakko looked back at the city gates where many novices gathered outside, looking for someone willing to trade their practically useless items, and others for someone to tank them.  
  
Lazy bystanders...  
  
The sight of Pickys and Super Pickys greeted the two as both emerged from the palm trees that made the boundary of meadow and desert. Byakko wasn't very familiar with the surroundings so he made it a priority to always stick by the younger boy. ShadowEyes told him all about the creatures around them, like he shouldn't deal with Peco Pecos until he's level 25 or if his agility or vitality can hold him up. Byakko ignored the warning as he bashed a lone bird on its head.  
  
"Sigh...I told you not to, you were lucky enough I was around or you would have been a goner..." ShadowEyes shook his head.  
  
"Yeah, with your constant damage of 16, I wouldn't have gone through it." Byakko rolled his eyes, drooling on sarcastically.  
  
"Hey! At least I tried saving your sorry butt...umph..." ShadowEyes got cut off as a piece of meat was shoved deep into his mouth.  
  
"So thanks." Byakko handed the other end of the drumstick to the boy. "It feels kinda weird...you're the only one that never made a comment about my ears or my strange markings..." Byakko caressed the striped pattern on his cheek.  
  
"Teh, I've seen more weird stuff than yours..."ShadowEyes gave a small grin at the silver-haired novice. Byakko gave out another pif.  
  
He laid down the cool sands of the desert, looking at the stars.  
  
"Hey...Shadow..."Byakko gazed at him.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Can I call you Kuro instead?"  
  
"Wha..."  
  
"It's the color black in Japanese, same as the color of the shadows..."  
  
"Whatever...go to sleep..."  
  
"Thanks..."  
  
The two drifted off to sleep as the moon breathed a soft wind against the palms of the desert.  
  
The two traveled the lone desert together, occasionally stumbling upon some noisy Mukas and Desert wolf pups. It was tempting to hit the noisy cactus and the dogs really messed with his eardrums, but Shadow...no...Kuro warned him that he won't be able to handle it. Byakko sighed and went on.  
  
Just a few more days before finally reaching Morroc, the Frontier...  
  
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So how was it guys? Okay...so I exaggerated on some portions. But it was for the good of the plot anyway...here are some other things that you might have been confused with...  
  
The map where Byakko and Kuro met was at prtfild06. The Library of Prontera is located North East of the fountain in Prontera. To decipher when asking the level of another character we usually write, say 62/46, the first figure is the base level and the second figure is the job level. Knights are commonly stupid around here (gets thrown at with Bastard Swords and Cranial Shields), because they only have 1 stat point for Intelligence. Get it? Hybrids are somewhat cursed here in the Philippines during the early levels, but people can only gape when they see a grown up hybrid in action... This is my pure observation but Hunters compromise 40% of the Philippine population, Knights around 25%, Priests at 15%and the rest goes to others. Main reason? Hunters are overpowered, overrated and have the largest assortment of elemental arrows to suit their needs. Their high agi makes them hard to hit, and their dexterity ensures they hit back. Their abused Blitz Beat skill makes it even unfair and the addition of traps can make MVP hunting somewhat forgivable. I know this is out of the topic but I felt damn right good about what I said.  
  
Hunter: Awww somebody beat me to Baphomet...not to worry that priest will be shredded to bits by the scythe later on...heheheheh. (Sees that the Baphomet misses the priest insanely) Hunter: Must be an agility type, but one hit will kill that show off (/gg) (The priest got hit, and the astounding amount reached to only 800!) Hunter: /omg  
  
Any other questions or comments just review, ok? I'll still write this damn fic but it would help if I got a review or two! /heh  
  
Ja minna sai! Gotta get back to my Zoids fan fiction...Not to worry, I'll still update this section of my life (but I'd rather play Ragnarok Online than do a fiction about it ) 


	2. Early Years of Training

Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Ragnarok Online. This is the property of Master Lee-Myoung Jin and Gravity Corporation. pRO belongs to its publisher Level Up! HOWEVER I do own anything within my sorry account, which means my character, is seriously mine and the character names I will use here are actually real people in the Philippine Odin Server. I'll have to give credit to them later on and I might mention some guilds, which are very much famous in our locale.  
  
To machinegungirl: Thanks for the review! Yes, I certainly agree with you that it isn't the fault of hunters why they can be tagged as overpowered. The only reason is that hunters have their advantages over agility and dexterity. Yin and Yang of sorts...combine the two harmoniously and you end up with a lethal build. It's just that there are some hunters who really act like jerks, especially in the PvP rooms and WoE. Monks are NOT overpowered, owing to the SP penalty of their skills. They can be just as lousy as a cross between assassin and knight, but proper construction build is very much needed in planning a good character.  
  
Bah, enough with the words and let's get on with the second story...  
  
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Chapter 2: Early Years of Training  
  
"So, you are Tiger God Byakko..." Mother Matilda browsed over the silver- haired boy, as the other nervously stood still, suspicious that the cleric knows something about him.  
  
"Ok then..." Mathilda said, letting a homing pigeon fly." I sent a message telling that you are accepted as an acolyte."  
  
Byakko sighed at the news. /pif  
  
"However..." Mathilda stared at her suspiciously. "I personally believe that you are not fit for the righteous path of holiness."  
  
Byakko stared at her with amazement and curiosity. This was the first case a cleric would counter the decision of an applicant for priesthood.  
  
"But why?" Byakko asked, fearing what she might have observed in him.  
  
"You bear the aura of an evil monster, the blood that runs in you is inhuman, and you bear the pagan markings of corruption. Yet you choose to be an acolyte..." Mathilda gave out her observations.  
  
"It is my choice, "Mother"... for me to want this job. I only want what my heart would tell me to do..." Byakko gave her an answer of sarcasm. "And you are right...so I bid you farewell. I trust we will meet again..." The old cleric smiled bidding a confused novice farewell.  
  
Going back to the city of Morroc, Byakko didn't believe that this was a city at all. It looked more like a settlement, the buildings were rundown, tents arrayed the city streets, and people would have preferred camping out rather than staying in inns.  
  
"Ei, Byakko!" Kuro called from the crowd. Byakko looked back to hear what the other boy wanted to say.  
  
"How was your test?" Kuro asked him.  
  
"It's finished. All I have to do is go back to the Sanctuary to accept my uniforms and receive training to use my skills."  
  
"That's good...I still have to go below the Pyramids to take the test...but I'm damned to terrified to go down there..."  
  
"And why is that?"  
  
"They say there are certain bats that roam the first level of the area, mobbing unsuspecting people. And once in a while, a monster they call "Mimic" appears."  
  
"Y'know. It wouldn't help if you stayed here rather than take your quest." Byakko started to walk away.  
  
"Hey, where are you going?" Kuro called out.  
  
"Home...I have to finish this quest today. I scheduled myself tomorrow to intensive training."  
  
"Is this a goodbye?"  
  
Byakko looked back at the pony-tailed kid as he saw sadness, even if it was little, in his eyes.  
  
"No. It's a "see you again"." Byakko forced a weak grin, walking away as Kuro waved goodbye to him for the last time.  
  
Another long walk across the desert.  
  
Byakko had his fill of Condor wings, boiled Peco Peco eggs and Picky stew (he only ate the last dish when he was desperately hungry). Desert cuisine was not his style. He had to go back to civilization!  
  
After asking a few knights and thieves he had passed his way (and a hefty bribe to boot), Byakko finally got his bearings back and reached Prontera in the afternoon.  
  
First stop: The Flower Lady. She was the only "nice, polite character" (NPC he he...) that was really nice to him. Other characters would raise the prices of their wares when he would arrive and charge him low for the loot he is trying to sell, but she was the only npc that was fair and just to her.  
  
"Good afternoon, ne-chan..." Byakko greeted the Flower Lady.  
  
"Oh, it's you Byakko! Long time no see...how are you?" She greeted back.  
  
"Just fine, just fine. I've got loots from Morroc you may want to buy..."  
  
"You came from Morroc? That's good! I hope you have a stock of feathers, I really need them for my special float on the Flora festival..." She sneakily said, leering her eyes and bringing herself closer to the young boy.  
  
"Uh...right...here. It's one hundred and twenty three Feather of Birds, ninety two Feathers, one hundred and fifty one jellopy..." Byakko checked the contents of his backpack where he kept all of his loot.  
  
"Let's see...it all adds up to two thousand plus zennies...I'll give you three thousand for all of these..." She smiled warmly.  
  
Byakko gave an /omg expression. First time he got three thousand for all of his loot.  
  
"Ne-chan...won't you get banned for overcharging my loot? I'm no merchant you know..." Byakko said in dread upon the term "banned".  
  
"Of course not silly! Unless you want to tell everyone else I did this..." She cackled, sorta like a Bathory would.  
  
"No, I wont. Thanks ne-chan. I gotta go now, the cleric is waiting for me." Byakko said leaving for the church.  
  
"Good luck, boy!" Flower Lady hollered back.  
  
"I'll see you again..."  
  
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"Byakko! Finally you've become an acolyte!" The cleric said congratulating the boy who was now sporting the robes of an apprentice-priest.  
  
"Thank you Father..."Byakko nodded low.  
  
"I suggest you wait in the main hall with the other newly recruited members, we will start our first lesson of the day in the night..." The cleric pointed to him in the direction outside the antechamber.  
  
Byakko sullenly walked outside towards the other bustling newbie acolytes, who seemed excited about their first lesson. Byakko piffed at them and walked towards the nun intent on looking at the Chain, she was also entertaining other purchases.  
  
"Sigh...twenty three thousand zennies..." Byakko looked at his measly nineteen thousand. He was still lacking at buying that Chain.  
  
"Ei kid..." A merchant called him, hearing his piffing and sighing. "I'll sell you this 6 Chain for nineteen thousand..."  
  
Byakko weakened at the coincidence. He might have been lucky that day, though his luck was really just 1. Inspecting and making sure that the Chain wasn't a scam or anything, he bought the 6 Chain and sported it at his waist.  
  
Sitting down with the others, Byakko was intent on sleeping for a while. First mission completed: obtaining a suitable weapon for him. Now he wanted to rest for a while.  
  
"Hey kid." A tough looking female acolyte got his attention. "What's your level?"  
  
Byakko gave a short reply, attempting to end the sudden disturbance.  
  
"24/1..."  
  
The acolyte walked away, realizing that he can't bully this newbie. His measly level 17 was no match for Byakko's 24...  
  
"Good evening to all of you!" A deafening voice boomed across the hall, the rowdy acolytes quieted down, and the others who slept woke up.  
  
"Tonight, we will start training for your apprenticeship...In here, you will determine your strengths and your weaknesses in the field of support and exorcising."  
  
"First skill is Heal. The trademark of any acolyte, Heal is the most essential spell for party support and undead exorcising. Heal is very much useful in keeping your party alive while also attacking the negative energy of the undead with positive energy. Your Heal capacity will go higher for every skill point you allocate in the spell, and the growth of your base level and Intelligence. The formula is: Intelligence Base Level / 8 (4Skill Level Of Heal 8)."  
  
"The second is Increase Agility. It temporarily increases Agility of any one character, along with its moving and attack speed as well. It has its brother skill, Decrease Agility, which lowers enemy Agility. You need Level 3 Heal as a requirement to obtain this skill."  
  
"The third is Blessing. It increases Strength, Intelligence and Dexterity of one person. It is a highly useful spell as it also cures curse. The SP points are what somewhat makes this skill a so-so when using it. You will need Level 5 Divine Protection."  
  
The other acolytes were already jotting down notes on handy notepads that they brought with them. Byakko didn't mind them; he already had a build placed in his mind. It never hurt to do your homework...  
  
"Divine Protection and Demon Bane are also brother skills; increasing your defense against the evil and raising your attack power against the evil as well. Angelus is a useful party spell that can raise defense of all your party members, while Signum Crucis will help in lowering the defense of evil enemies; specifically the Undead and Ghosts. Ruwach is very useful against enemies that hide, and is a prerequisite for Teleport and Warp Portal; both useful for transportation and escape. Pneuma is a powerful spell that nullifies range types of attacks however; you need Level 4 Warp Portal to obtain it. Cure is for recovery against status ailments and Aqua Benedicta is for creation of Holy Water, an item unique only for the Cleric class."  
  
The cleric ended his lecture, looking at the acolytes who began comparing notes, telling one another that their build is better. A certain boy caught his attention, a certain silver-haired boy...  
  
Bringing a large carton box in the pulpit, the cleric deliberately slammed it on the wood to wake anyone who wasn't paying attention. Inside were tiny pieces of paper with strange writings and symbols on it.  
  
"These," He held out one of the pieces of paper. "Is an Amulet. It is a special relic from the monsters Munak and Bongun. It can summon undead monsters, but as our priests are still trying to use it to revive ourselves when we faint, we still do not know." The cleric threw the paper on the ground. In an instant, it faded to the floor and a rotting violet fiend replaced it. The cleric focused and casted Heal towards the walking corpse. In an instant, the monster burst and it's nails flew off, landing to the waiting hands of an acolyte.  
  
"The Sanctuary's holy energy shall prevent any evil from moving inside. I want each of you to take one and demonstrate in front how to deal with undead using your field of expertise." The cleric motioned for each one to take a piece.  
  
"By the way, the amulet will call any undead that will match the evilness of the person using it. It will be a good way of self-examination to see the degrees of wickedness inside a person." The cleric said, smiling to himself. They had seen that he was only able to summon a zombie, which means his evilness is very minimal.  
  
An acolyte went forward and threw the paper on the ground. A similar corpse came out, except it was grayish all over, not violet. The cleric identified it as a Ghoul, and assisted the acolyte by Blessing her and the Ghoul at the same time, cursing it in the process. The Ghoul went down in ten turns with the acolyte alone.  
  
"Very good. A Ghoul is somewhat strong and should not be tackled with unless you are 40 or higher. Bomfrey, you're next..." The cleric called upon the female acolyte who looked boyish for her size.  
  
A Zombie Prisoner came out from hers, and although it was true that the monster was unable to move from his position, it was able to swing its ball and chain at the onlookers. The acolyte shrieked and others gasped as the cleric stepped in and casted Status Recovery on the undead.  
  
"Everybody! Heal!" The cleric shouted as everyone focused his or her healing powers towards the center, even Byakko. The monster fell back as it was bombarded by numerous heal bombs from every person inside.  
  
"That..."The cleric said, between breaths. " should never be tackled until you are 50 or higher. Unless you want to have broken bones all over, you best stay away from those types of monsters.  
  
The bully went in gasps as she stayed back in the group, traumatized by the ordeal.  
  
Heh, what a pathetic person...  
  
"Byakko..." The cleric called from the registry scroll. Byakko stepped forward as he held the piece of paper on hand, shaking faintly. Throwing the amulet on the ground, he waited in abated breath as a peculiar corpse rose.  
  
It was a zombie. Byakko knew that, but somehow it wasn't in the tint of violet. It was more of the blue. Looking back at the cleric for confirmation to attack it, Byakko charged at the zombie with his 6 Chain, finishing the fiend in four strikes. No loot came out. The cleric gasped for air when he realized that the zombie was no more than smoke, disappearing in the air as the ground shook and a fissure formed in the center. Strange pentagram like symbols appeared on the crack as a very large demon-undead rose from it. It looked like a rotting sorcerer with a large aura and floating in the air.  
  
Dark Illusion.  
  
Byakko had studied almost all the known monsters of Rune-Midgard; and he was most fascinated in the area of Necrology and Demon Physiology. He had known and identified any undead and demon, whether existing in his time or not.  
  
Dark Illusion was no laughing matter. They were known servants of the Dark Lord, the undead MVP monster. And their spells are in almost comparison to their master.  
  
Byakko realized it was just too late when the creature shrouded him with his ghostly cloak, shutting him from the view of others. It felt like he was falling and falling into an unknown dimension.  
  
He landed with a thud on something like a transparent floor. There was no light around them, yet they saw each other; Dark Illusion and himself. The monster began his assault at the scared acolyte, realizing that he was no match for the demon. He snapped his head to his side and braced himself for the impending doom, as the undead neared its rotting hand at the crouched boy.  
  
A small luster passed between them.  
  
And the monster paused its assault at the young boy. Electricity seemed to pass through them as Byakko felt something different, not quite the slashes of a claw or the breaking of his bones as he was going to be torn apart  
  
A gentle stroke...  
  
The rotting hand slowly caressed the tiger markings on Byakko's face, its ebony luster responding to the evil energy that the creature emanated. Byakko gaped at him and was paralyzed with fear and wonder.  
  
The creature's mouth opened to deliver a raspy sound, Byakko observed that he might not have spoken for a long time and was unable to do it properly now. A few attempts later and audible words started forming in the series of gasps and hoarse sentences.  
  
"You..." Words finally came out.  
  
"Why do you wear these markings that demons and evil know alone? "I...I am no human. Demi-human perhaps, but I know I am not human..." Byakko stuttered at the powerful being.  
  
"It is true...then. Son of Sohee Mistress, you are...aren't you?" Dark Illusion pierced the blue eyes of Byakko.  
  
"Yes...I was told by someone of the same name..."  
  
"I owe her my existence...most of us do...yet she died on that fateful night..."  
  
"..."  
  
"No one came to her aid...all the demons were restrained inside the castle of Glastheim...all that was left was her scream that pierced through the air..."  
  
Byakko fell to his knees, feeling cold as if he had heard the same shrieks of pain he thought he had when he was a baby.  
  
"Mother..."  
  
"You've grown Byakko, son of Sohee Mistress. We will be seeing each other some time around again...never doubt that."  
  
"Wait!!! Can you tell me more about my mother? Please..."  
  
"This hallowed place is sapping me of my strength. Receive this to prove my defeat in your hands this day. And this other item, keep it that I may know you again when we finally meet at the fated day..." Dark Illusion flung a skull and a torn piece of paper.  
  
[Received Skull-1 ea]  
  
[Received Half of Dark Illusion Card-1 ea]  
  
"I will imbue your weapon as well, that it may help you in your training. My cohort shall appear in the strikes of your chain to weaken and halve all the statistics of the enemy...as well as lowering its defense by half..." Dark Illusion spun a thread of energy in the air as it entwined in the weapon strung at Byakko's side.  
  
[Received 6 Damnation Chain-1 ea]  
  
Byakko gazed at the demon as it slowly sucked into itself the void it has created. Slowly, light began to pierce the darkness and the demon retreated into the fissure he had created.  
  
"Until next time...son of Sohee Mistress..." Dark Illusion whispered. "Yes...until next time..." Byakko fell on his knees, weakened from the encounter as he slid the torn card into his pockets. The skull he kept clutching in his other as he finally realized that he was back at the Sanctuary.  
  
The people inside saw only a dark orb had encircled Byakko and the monster, and they were pretty sure that he would have been eaten by now, if not horribly dismembered in the most grueling way. The orb began to shrink and all that was left was a boy sprawled in the floor, his hands clutching a skull in his chest.  
  
"Byakko!" The cleric rushed from the pulpit to the kneeling boy in the center. The others stood back, in fear that the monster will return. Stretching his hand out to grasp the weakening acolyte, the cleric snapped back as he was thrown to the floor, a strange pentagram variation appearing on the floor where the acolyte was sprawled. It was some sort of evil Kyrie Eleison barrier.  
  
"Holy Light!" The cleric issued a blast of holy force as the barrier broke on it's own accord. The priest finally had reached the boy, casting Status Recovery, Cure and Sanctuary around them. Byakko writhed in pain as the healing energy pulsated in the floor, but later fell weak and limply molded himself in the priest's waiting arms. The skull fell from his grasp, bouncing once before finally halting in the crevice of the church floor.  
  
Everyone gasped as they saw the drop that Byakko had. No way he could've defeated the Dark Illusion, but this just proves he has! Still, it would've been best if...  
  
"Everyone...gather around..." The cleric called on his apprentices. "I want all of you to never speak of this matter outside the church. I will not hesitate to silence all of you if need be. There should be no circulating news about what had happened this day." The acolytes nodded, realizing that they would be denied priest hood if they had ever said word about it.  
  
"Good." The cleric looked at everyone. "I assume all of you are very tired by now. Please, go back to your quarters and rest. We will resume training by tomorrow. That is all. "The cleric made final word.  
  
After a short prayer, the hall cleared up of its residents, as the only persons left were the cleric and the resting acolyte in his arms. A priest came rushing forth from the doors of the Sanctuary, sweat lining his brows nit in stress and fear. His suspicions were well placed as he saw the silver-haired boy unconscious.  
  
"Am I too late? How is the boy?" The just-arrived priest asked the other.  
  
"He is well, he had an encounter..."  
  
"From what?"  
  
"It is best if we rest for now. I will tell all the details of what happened in the refectory, while we will have our breakfast. In the meantime, I suggest we keep an eye out for this boy. I feel he is somewhat special..." The cleric proceeded to carry the boy into his dormitory. The other priest followed suit.  
  
"You do not have any idea what you have just said..." He murmured inaudibly, walking along the unlit corridors of the sanctuary.  
  
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Dark Illusion was in front of the Evil Council...  
  
"I have found the boy..." The undead bowed before them.  
  
"Good..." A foxy female voice spoke; it was Moonlight Flower's.  
  
"He has finally arrived then..." Another spoke, a more male and deeper voice boomed, it was Baphomet's.  
  
Dark Lord rose from his seat as he noticed that the time for his respawning was nearing.  
  
"We'll talk later of our plans for the boy. He is of value to us...and we will need him so. We are his only family now..." He lowered his tone and vanished into oblivion, his mob following him. The others nodded with his comment and spoke among themselves.  
  
"The new MVP has arrived..."  
  
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Peh, onto the next chapter...which would be a week from now. I must update my Zoids fic! 


	3. To Know Your Role

Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Ragnarok Online. This is the property of Master Lee-Myoung Jin and Gravity Corporation. pRO belongs to its publisher Level Up! HOWEVER I do own anything within my sorry account, which means my character, is seriously mine and the character names I will use here are actually real people in the Philippine Odin Server. I'll have to give credit to them later on and I might mention some guilds, which are very much famous in our locale.  
  
machinegungirl: He he he, it's my story anyway. I just wanna feel how it's like to be my character. Stupid feelings. Oh, well. tnx for the review anyway. ; ) Licca: Sorry, but I don't watch Naruto. S2pid local network is plugging in their local news crew, so we can't watch anime'! Sheesh! But I heard that it's good. People go to AFK mode just to watch it every afternoon... CritLocke: Gee thanks! It makes me all fuzzy! Glad someone appreciates my way of story telling! Ragnar-Pendon: Hey! You keep your ass off my story! And whaddya mean, just a Main Gauche? That was a Damascus already! You couldn't even stand to 4 Orc Zombies! How about 6? And you can have your Mighty Staff back, if you return my Orc Helm which you arbored!  
  
[Arbored]verb: to borrow an item and not return it. Base verb: arbor  
  
Nightraven Rue: Hey, you're a dagger sin too?!?! Meet Ragnar or should I say Shadow Eyes! His thief's a dagger sin now, sadly struggling at that. (Gets thrown at with his 4 Sucsamad) and he got that Sucsamad for only 600k! Nice deal eh? We are both in Odin! Just pm me, Tiger God Byakko, if you have the time. He he he...  
  
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Chapter 3: To know your Role  
  
We just have to find ourselves a place under the sun...or moon that is. It depends upon the person's preference...  
  
Byakko woke up on his quarters, remembering everything that had happened that night. He was still aching all over from the encounter.  
  
Looking across his bed, he took a short shower and changed back into his robes. He then eyed on his chain...  
  
"Damnation Chain...do I have any right to use it?" Byakko murmured.  
  
Slowly, he took the weapon and strapped it in his side. He limply walked the corridors of the Sanctuary to reach the refectory to have breakfast.  
  
The other acolytes stopped eating upon seeing who it was who entered the room. Most murmured in there food, but he knew what they were talking about...  
  
Him.  
  
"Byakko...how are you feeling?" The cleric rose up from his seat as he greeted the just-arrived boy.  
  
"I...I'm fine." Byakko looked up at him. Behind him was the priest who took care of him. He motioned for Byakko to sit with him and the cleric. There were many things they had to talk about.  
  
"Byakko...I heard..."The priest started a conversation. Byakko looked up from his meal of bread and lentil soup.  
  
"Yes. I know...if you wondered how I managed to get that drop. I was just lucky. That is all I have to say..." the silver haired boy looked away. He was never good at lying. Abruptly finishing his meal, he stood up and decided to leave the Sanctuary for a while. The string of events had gotten more confusing, with the truth revealed by an undead, of all things.  
  
Running his fingers across his tiger markings (which he usually did when he was distraught), he was talking to himself.  
  
"What's the deal with being the son of an extinct MVP...I'm human, that's all that matters..."  
  
Human...  
  
Was he indeed human?  
  
Not noticing where he was going, he bumped on someone who was walking down the street as well. Down he fell on the hard stone.  
  
"Itai, itai, itai...I'm sorry...." Byakko looked up from his awkward position, rubbing his nose that received most of the impact.  
  
"Hey...watch it..." The other man felt silent as he vaguely remembered those strange tiger markings and peculiar elven ears...  
  
"Byakko...is that you?" The thief exclaimed, somehow happy to see him.  
  
"Heck, how do you know me and who's your name?" The other replied.  
  
The other boy landed a noogie on the sprawled acolyte and was laughing his head off, as if he never heard a thing. "Silly, it's me ShadowEyes. Heh, you leave me for a few weeks and then you forget everything."  
  
".../omg" Byakko wasn't able to believe what he was seeing. That scrawny Morroc lad was now a fine thief. Glad to see him, the silver haired boy invited him for ice cream in the inn. Lutie was snowing well this year that ice cream had been available for everyone.  
  
"So...how's...your...training..."ShadowEyes asked in between licks of his triple scooped ice cream. Byakko just gave a /... reply.  
  
"It's been kinda hard...specially for a person like me...Ooops..."  
  
Slip of the tongue.  
  
"What do you mean "for a person like me"? Huh?" ShadowEyes looked up from his treat. Though naïve for his age, he knew well what to listen to and what not to listen. "Nothing..." Byakko replied, rolling his eyes up and giving a tone of suspense.  
  
"Hey cool! What card is compounded in here? I wanna see..." The pony-tailed kid began examining a rather familiar looking chain on his hand.  
  
"Hey, give that back!!!" Byakko was startled, not realizing that it was gone by his side.  
  
Shadow, on the meantime, brought the weapon out of reach from his hand and teased the other boy.  
  
"Damnation Chain eh? This could sell big..." Shadow stuck his tongue out against the annoyed boy.  
  
The drama lasted on for a few minutes until an aura of desperation surrounded the acolyte.  
  
"Give...that...BACK!" Byakko finally reached the other boy, grasping the arm with his hand that was hidden underneath the long sleeves of his acolyte getup.  
  
Shadow was shocked when a different set of hands grabbed his arm, it was clawed and very strong. Letting go of the chain, his sights settled on the other boy. His eyes had narrowed to slits and his canines had grown a few centimeters more than what he had remembered.  
  
Quick as a flash, Byakko let go and seemed like he fell back down to earth. His hands returned to normal, his pupils dilated to those of a normal one and his fangs had returned to their normal length.  
  
Panting the boy's head fell on the table. "Haa...haa...please...don't provoke me again...I...lose my control if you or anybody does..." Tears fell out of either pain or shame. Shadow felt it was both.  
  
"Listen...I'm sorry. Here," he said returning the chain to Byakko. "but really. Tell me what I just saw and what happened here."  
  
Seeing how futile it is to hide it to him, Byakko narrated everything about himself.  
  
Everything...  
  
"I see...well, it makes sense anyway. No wonder those ears grow long, or either your fangs grow extra large when you grow angry." Shadow finally heaved a sigh after the long story. "Yeah...so, you gonna start running away now and tell the world what a freak I am? If you're lucky, you might have a large reward for turning in the son of an MVP..."Byakko looked away.  
  
"Nah..." Shadow stood up from his seat. Walking out of the café, he winked at the startled acolyte. "...There are things more important than zennies, y'know!" And with that, the thief disappeared into the crowd.  
  
Byakko smiled as he gazed his gloved hands.  
  
"There are things more important, eh?  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
"So like, Gungnir won the guild wars and managed to captivate even the favors of King Tristan III. That guild is awesome..." A swordsman was telling a thief what he had heard on the PvP rooms.  
  
"Right...but I still go for Black Lotus. Man, their guild master is way off our levels! Imagine...reaching level 99! Gosh, that hunter was burning with an aura!" The thief related his own story.  
  
Byakko walked past them as he was still thinking where to go hunting next. The desert was boring him and the forest provided no challenge either. Zombies were way out of his league.  
  
"Hey acolyte!" A voice called from his back.  
  
Byakko's ears perked up high, as he looked back at the swordie and the thief that had stopped talking to each other.  
  
"Wanna come with us to the pyramids?" The swordie smugly said.  
  
"Yeah, were goin' Skeleton Soldiers hunting." The thief followed the swordsman's pose.  
  
"Well, if I'll be staying in the sidelines, forget about it." Byakko intercepted any thoughts from them. He knew they were looking for some support. "I'm a battle acolyte see, and I don't prefer just sitting around and healing anyone who gets slashed by a monster they have no business hitting with."  
  
The swordie and thief huddled with each other. Byakko looked at both of them impatiently and waited for their answer.  
  
"Uh, right...we'll see each other another time..."The swordie gave a /swt.  
  
Byakko just piffed and gave a /an expression for the disturbance. But it does seem tempting to go to the Pyramids...  
  
With one final look at this zenny pouch, he asked a Kafra personnel to teleport him to the pyramids, back to Morroc.  
  
"Step lightly, young sir! Enjoy the trip!" Said the Kafra lady, as she directed Byakko to a strange teleporting machine. Byakko felt light headed for a few seconds, until he landed with a thump on the cobblestone streets of what he recognized as Morroc.  
  
After stocking on some meat drumsticks and concentration potions, Byakko finally entered into his first trip to the Pyramids.  
  
Level 1 was no biggie for him, it was just full of those pesky bats and powdery Spores. Other than that and those stupid-looking(but undeniably cute!) Poporings, he had no intention of staying at that level.  
  
Level 2 was a serious leap from the previous level as a Skeleton Soldier made a sudden jump towards him as he stepped off the door. Slightly dodging his attacks, Byakko nimbly gave a serious blow on the side of the Skel. The soldier flinched, but countered with a double attack. Byakko was starting to feel the desperation again, but felt it best to repress it for a while. There were many people around him, each trying to steal a bit of experience from the high-leveled players who were also hunting for the cards and the Apple o Archers that the Skeleton Archers dropped. Byakko thought it best to fly away for an easy escape.  
  
For may days, he stayed in the dark dungeon, managing on his ration of meat and enjoying the constant appearances of enemies spawning in front of him and at his back. The Skeleton Soldiers were an easy way for experience and loot, but the Skeleton Archers were a pain. Their high dexterity kept them hitting Byakko, and the Drainliars were feasting on his blood as well, having high dexterity and hit rating too. Byakko managed to cut of the Drainliars wings for loot and for an easy kill, while he made a beeline for any Skeleton Archer that was attacking him, hitting it first before the Skeleton Soldiers that were trailing on his back. This he did until he reached Base level 57. But everything was tiring him...  
  
"Aaaah..."Byakko shielded his eyes from the blinding sun as he finally stepped out of the pyramids. It was a long time, too long perhaps, that he had come out of the dark dungeon. His backpack was loaded with Skel-Bones and Wings of Red Bat, sadly no SS card or AoA. All he got was a lousy Archer Skeleton Card, and that was just as well pretty useless, whether implemented or not. He decided to return back to Prontera, to see how things went...  
  
"...Byakko! Is that my acolyte!?!?!" The Flower Lady shrieked in joy and fraternal concern when he saw the exhausted acolyte enter the south gates of Prontera City.  
  
"Hey...ne-chan. Long time no see, I guess..."Byakko gave a faint smile as he neared her. Flower Lady shook off her customers just to attend to him first.  
  
"How are you my boy? How are you feeling? Are you okay?" Flower Lady began squeezing his cheeks, examining him for any abnormality. Frankly, he was kinda abnormal already...  
  
"I...I'm fine..."Byakko gave a /pif as he rummaged at his almost torn backpack. It was already burdening his back, owing that the Skel-Bones and Wings of Red Bat were piercing through the leather covering. Laying his bag on the ground, which coincidentally busted on its seams, the bones and dried wings littered around Flower Lady.  
  
"My...My...This is so much. Let me get my Kafra-certified calculating compact machine." Flower Lady took something from her bosom, and slammed it into the stone sidewalk as Byakko realized it was an ancient cash register, which was truthfully gigantic He could have sworn that the cash register would have registered 7.6 in the Tristan III Earthquake Scaling System.  
  
"That's compact..." Byakko sweatdropped at the dusty machine that still had cobwebs clinging to it, and he thought NPCs were just good in Math.  
  
"Okay...it sums up to 308k!" Flower Lady finally finished counting the loots. Leering slowly at the shocked acolyte, she whispered. "...of course, without the NPC Overcharge yet. He he he..."  
  
There she goes again, cackling like a Bathory.  
  
After counting his zennies, Byakko thought of his backpack. Flower Lady pitied him and decided to replace his brown backpack with a stronger ebony one.  
  
Flower Lady whispered onto his ear. "It's a new accessory I've been working on. That bag is made out of Deviruchi hide and can enable you to use [Increase Weight Limit] Level 5. It may not be in the "in-fad" but once people will start to experience overweight status, my accessory will be a big hit!"  
  
"So...basically. You're gonna use me to advertise your product?" Byakko somehow got the point.  
  
"Not exactly...it's my way of thanking you for bringing in such a large amount of loot over a short while. I really needed those for the Halloween fest, even though it's still a long while..." Flower Lady thoughtfully looked over the bags of bones and wings. "Really, it's nothing at..."  
  
She got cut off short as Byakko planted a small kiss on her cheek.  
  
"Thank you ne-chan. I..." Byakko was cut off as a familiar scarlet liquid dripped from Flower Lady's cheek.  
  
Tasting his fangs for anything coppery, he landed on the sharp point of his fang and cut himself. Byakko looked horrified as Flower Lady just cupped her cheek, blood still flowing steadily from the clean-looking wound.  
  
Backing off, Byakko was nearing tears as he said his sorry to Flower Lady, who looked just as shocked as he was.  
  
"I...I...I'm sorry! I gotta go now..." Byakko ran from view as he mixed himself into the tight streets of Prontera.  
  
Never realizing that Flower Lady gave a smirk as her blood started to seep up her wound and the cut itself closed on it's own accord.  
  
"Don't be afraid to change young master..."  
  
Change is vital for all creatures, just as evolution is.  
  
People who don't change, who don't evolve will seek to destroy themselves.  
  
You are starting to change, our Byakko...  
  
Continue to grow, nurture the power deep inside you...  
  
Time will come when your family will welcome you...  
  
The family who wishes to have you in their midst...  
  
Sometimes, blood goes deeper than just the precious liquid inside of you...  
  
When people share the same fate and destiny,  
  
Then can you only call yourself, part of the family.  
  
Go, our little tiger. Grow your strengths and shut your weaknesses.  
  
One day, you will evolve...  
  
And with that, Flower Lady took her broom and swept up a dust storm of Witched Starsand; as she left a decoy Alice take her place for awhile.  
  
There were many interesting things she knew the Council would be... ...dying to hear.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------- So there it is, my third installment to this series. I uploaded this section while I was still having my exams (my okaasan is gonna kill me!). Anyways, sorry for the delay guys! And I promise I'll do best to continually update this series. Just don't forget my reviews, ne? I live for the reviews my young masters! He he he he he....  
  
Besides, Gundam SEED is finally airing on Cartoon Network! Gods! If I have known Kira Yamato would be that kawaii, I would have dumped this series to do a ficcy about him (and again, it's yaoi if you expected anything less...)if it weren't for your wonderfully exquisite reviews!  
  
So the fourth installment maybe next week again, if time permits me to do so, but I vow to continue this piece of RO literary goodness.  
  
Until next time peeps! Chow! I have to raise my merchant-alchemist character to Job Level 50 just like what I did to Tiger God Byakko! 


	4. Questions to the Fallen

Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Ragnarok Online. This is the property of Master Lee-Myoung Jin and Gravity Corporation. pRO belongs to its publisher Level Up! HOWEVER I do own anything within my sorry account, which means my character, is seriously mine and the character names I will use here are actually real people in the Philippine Odin Server. I'll have to give credit to them later on and I might mention some guilds, which are very much famous in our locale.  
  
Schwarz: Gee, thanks! Good luck on your hybrid aco too! Nightraven Rue: Ehm, actually I'm from Bacolod. But our fate is the same anyway ; Saw Naruto on different websites anyway. He's cool, I think... psycho-kawaii: Same case, same case. But I heard your Dexterity and Luck somehow affects the drop rate, which means hunters still get the upper hand! Waa! Merchants also have an innate ability of finding rare items! Here's the update you asked!  
  
Thanks for all the review guys!

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Chapter 4: Questions to the Fallen  
  
It seemed that everyday has become a journey...one that will never end...  
  
Byakko ran distraught in the streets of Prontera, unsure of what had just happened back there. Why had these changes appear all of a sudden? Sure, there where times when it was just a few minutes that he had grown extra long claws or fangs (he can attribute that to his being...not normal) and that was just when he was angry or desperate. There were others when it never even happened at all. But these past few days, he seemingly went out of control.  
  
Now he's done it. He had harmed an NPC of all persons, and it was the Flower Lady to be exact. She was the perfect example of a good sister to him, and was the only NPC that had spoke with civility and kindness to him. But even if he knew it was never intentional for him to have nicked her face, the deed was done. He was sure that the GM's will come swooping down from the sky and carry him off to the prison tower where banned people where kept until the end of their sentence.  
  
Midway between tears and fear, he was more afraid his emotions might show his true feral nature and expose himself to the public. Men would find themselves running after HIM, a rare hunt. There was only one place that he knew would offer protection...  
  
He had finally reached Sanctuary, the large cathedral located north west of Prontera Capital. Running inside the hallway, he went behind the altar towards a hidden backdoor, which he knew too well. It was connected to the cemetery outside. It was the place that had provided comfort for him when he was sad or lost. He had wished to seek solace in it once again.  
  
There was something special about that place that made Byakko calm when he was troubled. Other than it was peaceful there compared to the raucous church organ that kept howling inside, there was something in there that asked him to keep coming back.  
  
A tombstone... No doubt made of granite and marble. It was crudely carved and very primitive-looking compared to the others that stood regally beside it. Kings and Queens were buried in the cemetery of Prontera's Sanctuary, and acolytes and priests were reserved a special place in St. Capitolina Abbey (it's kinda grim, I know). Byakko kept coming again and again just to stick by the tombstone.  
  
It was because he was the one who had made it.  
  
[Flashback]  
  
Years ago, the priest that took care of him had brought Byakko special presents from Morroc. They were four Desert pet eggs. He was lucky enough that he revived a Blacksmith in the desert wolf area. The blacksmith, being courteous and all, decided to reward him by presenting 4 eggs he had caught in the desert. The priest, finding no use of it for him, decided to give it to Byakko, hoping it will teach him something about responsibility.  
  
It was the only time Byakko was ecstatic over something. He had received a Picky, Drops, Pecopeco and Desert Wolf Pup egg. During his novice years, Byakko had already managed the former three pets to loyalty. But the latter was proving more of a challenge to him. The desert wolf pup kept disobeying orders, made messes that led Byakko into serious trouble with church superiors and kept howling one night, waking half the Prontera residents from sleep.  
  
Byakko slapped the pup.  
  
It stayed quiet.  
  
That very morning, the pup began acting strangely. It was now more submissive, and was treating Byakko like a master. It never disobeyed another order again, and Byakko even managed to have it toilet-trained. It never howled at night again.  
  
He only knew a little while; when he was seen browsing over the books in the Library of Prontera, that Desert Wolves REALLY hurt their pups at an early age. It was to stimulate their aggressive nature. It was the natural explanation why Desert Wolves were aggressive.  
  
A year before he became an acolyte, the pup had grown to its adolescence. People feared that it would grow aggressive and rabid. But Byakko never worried about that. He hadn't done anything to make it aggressive.  
  
But humans will destroy anything they fear or do not understand.  
  
It was at dusk when some of the residents tried chasing the lone wolf out. They had hired passing Hunters to take the wolf to its death. Byakko tried explaining to them that Wolf (his pet's name) would never grow up to what people would expect.  
  
Hunters have the natural instinct to hunt. It was very much the same as talking to a brick wall when a hunter has sighted his eyes on his hunt.  
  
All nine hunters lodged a crystal arrow on to their bows, confident of taking the beast down with one shot. Byakko tried leading Wolf out but they were cornered in the wall. He could here the tethers of the bowstrings stretching to their limits, as each hunter prepared to take aim and shoot.  
  
Byakko hugged the wolf.  
  
The hunters shot.  
  
The wolf thrashed itself from Byakko's death grip...  
  
...And placed himself between Byakko and the arrows.  
  
All the arrows lodged neatly into the wolf's lithe body. The hunters were dismayed and walked away, seeing no loot has dropped. Byakko could only blame himself on his pet's death.  
  
It was his responsibility.  
  
He was, then, responsible for it.  
  
Byakko gently slapped the wolf on its cheek, prodding it to wake up. The wolf opened a weak eye...and spoke his first and last words...  
  
"And I thought you would see me graduate from Desert Wolf Academy..."The wolf kidded weakly, laying its head onto the novice's arms.  
  
Byakko spoke in between tears, grabbing something from his pockets.  
  
"Wake up...look..."He began waving an eye patch in front of Wolf." I bought you an eye patch. Please wake up...isn't this what you always asked me for everytime we passed by the Armor shop?" Byakko spoke in between sobs.  
  
"Master...please. "Wolf grinned weakly at the young acolyte. "Please...place the eye patch on me."  
  
Byakko weakly followed his friend's request, hoping it would bring some life back to him.  
  
"You were the best master I ever had. I thank you for it. It was just a pity I never got to serve...y...o...u..."  
  
"Wolf?" Byakko gazed at his eyes.  
  
There was no response.  
  
And the sky released the rain that Byakko had hoped for. It was always a coincidence that it rained when he was really sad. He slowly carried his pet back to Sanctuary and laid him on the ground.  
  
And he began clawing on the ground, digging up a grave for his pet. His hands had bled, and he was getting all filthy from the dirt and mud, but he had never stopped until he was satisfied of the depth.  
  
Byakko laid his pet into the pit. Brushing its wet fur for the last time, he slowly filled the hole. Sitting beside the grave, Byakko fashioned a wooden cross, sticking it into the fresh mound of earth. He went back to his dormitory, intent on crying the whole night out.  
  
The other dormant eggs stood by the shelf in Byakko's quarters, yet he had never felt more alone...  
  
More guilty...  
  
More responsible...  
  
And it was the only time of the night, the cathedral's halls echoed with the sobs of the poor novice...  
  
Next morning, Byakko went to the desert and found a large slab of a granite- marble fused rock. He had borrowed a Blacksmith's hammer and chiseled away at the rock, until a rectangular shape formed from it. Towing it back to the city, Byakko was intent on going back to the grave to finish his work.  
  
What he saw shocked him and brought him to his knees.  
  
The cemetery was filled with holes of varying degrees, and he would have cared less about the others until he saw the grave he just dug last night.  
  
It was empty.  
  
Seeing a cleric who was investigating the scene, Byakko asked the older one.  
  
"Father, wh...what had just happened here? Where are the contents of these graves?" Byakko stuttered at the sight of the empty graves. "It seemed that early this morning, the Sanctuary's cemetery has been raided by the Morroc undead. They had left a conspicuous note..."The cleric handed Byakko a worn-out scroll. In it were the contents:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------  
  
_By order of the unknown Pharaoh;  
  
We claim these bodies for the service of the King of the Desert Sands, _

_Your Kings we will make into fierce Mummies; _

_Your Queens we will make into vain Isis; _

_Your peasants in to Zeroms and Requiems;  
  
_---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------  
  
Byakko's eyes caught a line in the scroll that made his eyes berserk and his fangs let a snarl escape...  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
_This lone wolf however, we shall employ for a special service... _

_As the seed for the breed of fierce guardians of the Pyramids. _

_Matyr we shall call them, for the seed had died a martyr's cause _

_and a saint's death.  
  
_---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
Byakko would have torn the scroll if the cleric hadn't taken it from him. He wept for himself again, kneeling on the ground, punching it with his clawed hands. Even in death he wasn't able to take care of Wolf...  
  
He erected the tombstone in place of the mound of earth that had been dug up, propping it up in place. Using his claw, he scratched the rock and engraved the sole words to let him remember by...  
  
Forgive me...  
  
[End Flashback]  
  
Byakko was kneeling in front of the tomb, asking himself if it was still worth living the life he is in right now.  
  
"What is the use of living? Practically my family is dead, if I ever had one...my pet is also dead...my only "sister" has probably forsaken me by now..." Byakko droned endlessly.  
  
He laid on his back, letting the sun play on his face. The wind blew gently as he lazily fell asleep by the tomb. He was very tired, and very confused. All he wanted was to rest...  
  
When all of a sudden, the ground disappeared in his back. Byakko would have never noticed until he felt a grazing cold scuff his neck. Waking up to the familiar sensation, he would have flailed endlessly against the darkness had not a familiar set of hands held it secure.  
  
A familiar set of cold, rotting hands...  
  
"You..." Byakko looked at the dark shadow that had loomed over him. It was Dark Illusion, who had returned from Glastheim. It was unclear if he would be happy or horrified to see someone so familiar, yet so powerful.  
  
Dark Illusion scoffed a deadly eye at Byakko. The acolyte remembered about the undead's last request before leaving him months ago. Fishing a torn piece of paper from his pockets, the set of berserk eyes suddenly lost their intensity and it turned into favorable ones.  
  
"Young...master...it is you..." Dark Illusion forced a set of words from his mouth again. "I have been looking all over for you...the Soldiers of the Pyramid informed you were there days ago..."He rasped, taking the card from Byakko's outstretched hands.  
  
Byakko gaped at him, unable to form words that would have expressed what he felt and wanted to say.  
  
Finally, he mustered enough strength to say something.  
  
"Listen..." Byakko looked up to see if the other was listening." I wanted to ask you. These past few days, my morphing sequences have grown more prevalent and uncontrollable, can you sense anything wrong in me?"  
  
Dark Illusion passed his rotting hand onto the boy, Byakko felt the undead's energy passing through him, a dark indigo wisp that seemed to have formed from the undead's movement. It almost knocked the wind off the boy.  
  
"I sense..." Dark Illusion completed his observations."...A growing hunger deep inside you. You had consumed quite the number of undead spirits, am I right?"  
  
"I don't understand..."  
  
Dark Illusion explained. "What the cleric has been teaching about your skills is a fallacy. Everytime you dispose of an undead...the energies and misery of the fallen transfers to the person. You have consumed enough spirits, Byakko, to cause your soul to fall to damnation."  
  
Byakko was stupefied at what he heard, unbelieving of everything that he had said. Dark Illusion, in turn, grasped the boy's neck and held it up. His hand passed through the acolyte, but what shocked Byakko was what Dark Illusion had taken from him.  
  
Souls of different undead were screaming, like mandrakes dug up from the earth. He could identify Zombies, Skeleton Soldiers and Archers, Munaks and Bonguns and a few Ghouls and Whispers. A spiritual chain connected to Byakko bunched all of the spirits up, and these were in turn, wailing in complete wretchedness. Their screams sent Byakko kneeling to the ground; their screeches were incomprehensible.  
  
The chain tightened and Dark Illusion lost his grip of the spirits. The chain reeled the creatures back to the boy, bouncing him to the ground and pinning him into mid-air, encased in a dark cocoon. He writhed in pain and agony, gritting his teeth and clutching his chest.  
  
His fangs grew back to their feral length, his claws then followed suit. The tiger markings burned in his face, the ebony tint darkening even more. He was shouting, no, screaming at the top of his lungs.  
  
Lost in the darkness...  
  
Dark Illusion tried grabbing the boy, but even he wasn't able to penetrate the cocoon of Byakko's misery.  
  
Even evil cannot conquer the sadness and misery of a person. To be fueled by self-pity and worry creates a perfect barrier that can keep even the most determined to his feet.  
  
Dark Illusion could only watch as the acolyte screamed as he felt he was being torn apart. Slashes appeared from out of nowhere and marred his suit. Tears and sweat mixed in the constant trashing the acolyte made, it was what appeared to many as "unforgiving pain".  
  
Finally, after a few minutes of eternal pain, the cocoon ruptured and Byakko fell lightly onto the grass of the cemetery. Dark Illusion caressed his tiger markings before disappearing from the city again, vanishing into a dark rift that had formed at his feet.  
  
Byakko fell asleep, out of fatigue and pain. Yet there was something that had changed in him. His tiger markings had grown deeper in color, his hair more of platinum now, rather than silver. His ears had grown more pointier, and his skin a translucent milky white. Yet there was one thing that had evidently changed in him.  
  
His features. The pallor of his skin was less opaque, his face had lost its childish features, and his boyish countenance was replaced with the aspect of feral beauty. His eyebrows, from its normal thick, silver façade had now grown to sharp fae brows. His cheeks had developed from pale into strong. His destroyed uniform revealed his strong body and taut muscles.  
  
He has changed.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------  
  
"Byakko has passed the second test, masters." Dark Illusion reported to the Evil Council.  
  
"Excellent." Baphomet boomed, sharpening his Crescent Scythe with a junior's evil horn. "He has been quite promising, just as his mother had expected him to."  
  
"I heard he has grown more...sexier." Moonlight licked his lips. "I certainly would like to meet him sometime." She giggled, much to the dismay of her Nine Tails.  
  
"However," Dark Lord rose." He has but to pass the last test, that would determine if his fate is with us...or against us..."  
  
The Evil Council looked at him and gave their affirmation at what Dark Lord had said.  
  
The last test...  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------

No comment in here, except to say: READ AND RANT everyone. Hey, and while you're at it, try reading Transgressions of Fate by Ragnar(or Shadow Eyes whatever that rolls around). He has a good plot being carried on. Credits to the guilds Gungnir and Black Lotus for using their names in my ficcy. (Please don't sue me!) and to some other people I forgot to mention...  
  
Ja minna san!


	5. Repossession

Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Ragnarok Online. This is the property of Master Lee-Myoung Jin and Gravity Corporation. pRO belongs to its publisher Level Up! HOWEVER I do own anything within my sorry account, which means my character, is seriously mine and the character names I will use here are actually real people in the Philippine Odin Server. I'll have to give credit to them later on and I might mention some guilds, which are very much famous in our locale.

Whew! Day after day, I get messages from Seth to update or else!Well, here it is! /pif

SethRyne: Ok, now you can strangle me! I finally uploaded the fic! Pass it on to your minions!

Jaucifer: Unfortunately, I haven't placed the test here yet. But please read on! 

Nightraven rue:Gee thnks! Shucks, I hope you do a better job of drawing pretty tiger boy than I did shudderspeh,I dont check my emails always,but I can give you my cel no.! Ehm, never mind! I can't seem to reply to my messages either!   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
Chapter 5: Repossession  
  
Rain...  
  
The wet drops of heaven had fallen back into the ground. It had made everything it had met, wet. The trees drooped slightly, somehow relieved of the water that quenched their thirst from the parching earth.  
  
_"The thing with rain is...it somehow makes me feel sad..."  
_  
Byakko awoke with the soft patters of rain in his face. He was soaking wet outside the back of the Sanctuary. Somehow, he felt like his memory was torn to pieces, but seeing the tattered pieces of clothing that he wore, everything came back to him.  
  
He brought his hands to his face, amazed to see a difference in himself. The change he had undergone was awesome. But, he had no time to admire his new self. He was somehow grasping something in his mind.  
  
While he was inside the dark cocoon, he had seen things that were meant to be forgotten. Things that would have been lost. Things that were never meant to be revealed again...  
  
Things that were dangerous to someone like him...  
  
He had seen his mother's death. It was Sohee Mistress' memories before her death.  
  
Gods, she was the most beautiful mother Byakko could have ever had.  
  
Byakko felt that he somehow entered his mother's thoughts. It was a nightmare he didn't want to feel again, yet also wanted to.  
  
Because it was the only thing he could feel that was his mother's whether it would be pain...  
  
Or misery...  
  
Through her eyes, he saw the group of adventurers who laid their eyes upon her. Byakko had felt the course of emotions flowing inside his mother's.  
  
Tension...doubt...anticipation...anger...  
  
And the worry that her son wasn't safe.  
  
Byakko felt the rush of battle as Sohee Mistress tried her very best to defend the place from the trespassers. One by one, her Sohee minions disappeared; some died, others committed suicide.  
  
She was the only one left, but her enemies were unharmed.  
  
Bolts of lightning flew towards her from the Wizards, arrows of wind whistled from the Hunters, finding their target well. Sohee Mistress did her best in retaliating by casting her own spells, but they were all blocked by the enchanted armors of the Knights. All the other attacks, however, tore at her and scorched her. Byakko felt the same pain, literally. It was what he had felt and what had marred his suit when he was still inside the cocoon, and it was what had fueled his misery deeply.  
  
Sohee Mistress clutched at her second dagger; one she kept hidden in case she would be outnumbered. She would use it to commit suicide so that no one will take advantage of her, so that no drop will be taken from her.  
  
"Mother!" Byakko shouted amidst his pain, trying in vain to call at her. To stop her from doing so.  
  
Byakko felt hesitation flow from one part of her heart.  
  
"No...this is for my son." Byakko heard her thoughts clearly.  
  
She lightened her grasp on the dagger as spinning circles of Magnus Exorcismus started forming underneath her. The party grinned maliciously at the sprawled MVP on the floor.  
  
Byakko heard one last thought in his mother's mind before the holy energies burned through her.  
  
"Byakko, my son...may you find my relics that I will leave so that you may remember me by..."  
  
With this, she let go of her life and Death had taken her soul. Byakko had seen what she had left behind in her death.  
  
The victors greedily took her wish, which looked like a white jewel cracked with ebony veins, and her card, which portrayed her sad countenance on the front. It was all that he remembered as his view was suddenly brought away from his mother's and back to his own.  
  
And now he was awake.  
  
Byakko slowly stood up from his position on the ground, and limply walked back to his quarters. He was still confused at what to do, but he would do something about it later.  
  
Reaching his room, he stripped down and took a long shower. He was really surprised at the change that took place in him. He admired his taut chest and strong shoulders; his well-developed muscles and even the form of his body. But there was something in his eyes...they were not the ones Byakko wore everyday: that happy, cheerful kind of eyes. These looked more like of one who was ready to kill...piercing, cold and steely eyes was what were seen in him.  
  
After drying himself with a towel, he opened his closet to reveal his last suit (he hadn't done any laundering since coming back from Morroc); it was his acolyte robes that he had dyed black.  
  
Wearing the black robes, he looked more like a priest, not that he cared at all or anything, but it was to note it just the same. He had groomed himself and prepared to go down to the altar.  
  
Byakko tread lightly across the hallways as he proceeded to the altar of the Sanctuary. He saw a priest sitting nearby, and was just about to bid his superior to excuse himself, when he heard the priest talking to himself.  
  
"Sigh...I remember the days..." The priest talked to something he held up. "You gave us quite a time, but you fell down. He he he..."  
  
Byakko conspicuously made walking noises to make his presence be known. For the first time in years, he felt very apathetic, very uninterested in others. But he didn't want trouble just yet...  
  
The priest looked back to see the acolyte who had just arrived.  
  
"My boy, forgive me for making such a fuss inside." The priest excused himself from the noise he seemed to have created.  
  
Byakko would have answered an I-don't-care-if-you-dropped-dead-right-now reply but he contented himself with an "There is nothing to excuse about, father."  
  
The priest continued on talking to his plaything as Byakko walked by him to say his prayers. The fool was too sentimental for his age.  
  
After Byakko said his prayers, he prepared to retreat to his quarters, when his eyes fell on the "plaything" the priest was fondling on.  
  
It was a necklace. But what the pendant was caught his attention and surprise.  
  
It was white, cracked with ebony veins. One that seemed familiar.  
  
Byakko's seemingly calm eyes became bloodshot at what he had seen. His nails lengthened and his tiger markings seemed to have burned into him even more. His right hand instinctively clutched at the chain on his side.  
  
In a voice that contrasted his rage, Byakko asked the priest in the meekest manner...  
  
"Father...what is that jewel?"  
  
"This? It is a special relic from an MVP known as Sohee Mistress. I got this from..."  
  
His answer did it. Quick as a flash, Byakko swung his Chain at the priest, who taken off-guard, made a lucky dodge and landed on his feet; a book blazing with fire on his hand, ready. The Chain destroyed the bench where the priest formerly sat.  
  
"Who are you?!?! Delinquent acolyte! How dare you attack a superior?!?!" The priest was all in rage, as he started casting support spells upon himself.  
  
Byakko made no audible answer. All that could be heard from him was his wheezing and panting. But there was something growing inside of him...  
  
The priest saw it; an evil aura was slowly enveloping the acolyte. Byakko raised his Chain in a battle stance as his eyes settled into the priest.  
  
"I...will...have...what...is...ours..."  
  
The priest made no hesitation and started to cast Holy Light into the charging acolyte. The energy sent Byakko skidding back, marking the floor with burnt leather from his shoe; however, just as quick, he rebounded back and pierced through to hit the priest.  
  
The priest countered the Chain with his buckler on hand, and used the book on Byakko's side. The book made an explosion on impact that sent the acolyte reeling across the side of the hall, knocking the benches into different directions.  
  
As Byakko slowly stood up from the debris of the benches, the priest had just casted Kyrie Eleison on himself. This time, Byakko replaced the Chain with his bare hands, brandishing his nails that had grown longer and sharper.  
  
This time, it was the priest's turn to assault the acolyte. Byakko felt lighter this time, dodging the path of the book's arc. His hands formed a stance of gripping the priest's nape, and Byakko would have almost succeeded if the barrier hadn't been initiated, blocking the unsuspecting priest from the attack.  
  
His hands bounced off, singed from the resistance the barrier has placed. Yet, he found himself...sneering.  
  
This time, he assaulted straightforward to grasp the priest's neck in front. The barrier held up again, Byakko's hand was cuffed by symbols of power. The priest began to counter using the book again, aiming to hit the acolyte's torso this time.  
  
Big mistake.  
  
Byakko used his free hand to block the book; the explosion occurred halfway, destroying the Kyrie Eleison barrier. This had also sent the priest flying across to the wall, hitting hard on his back.  
  
From out of the smoke, Byakko lunged forward and aimed for the priest's heart. The priest snapped his head to the side, anticipating the deadly blow, only to find the clawed hand settle on his chest.  
  
"Who...are...you...?" The priest weakly said.  
  
Byakko looked up to the older man, his hand was tensing on the priest's chest. He was simpering, almost maniacally, as the hand that settled on the priest was slowly being filled with power.  
  
Clutching the necklace on the priest's neck, Byakko looked up to the panic- stricken man.  
  
"Be DESTROYED!"  
  
Byakko gritted his fangs as energy swept through his arm and into the priest. A pentagram symbol appeared on the priest's chest, almost above it. Then an implosion occurred, filling the air with a silent rumble. The priest screamed at the impact of the invisible implosion that first sucked him inward, then sent him flying through the church walls, landing across the cemetery outside, while Byakko himself felt the aftershock of the blast; his robe still flying towards the course of the implosion. All that was left in Byakko's hands was the torn necklace from the priest and smoke from the skill he never knew what it was.  
  
Byakko ran back to his quarters and began packing his things now. He knew the Church would never tolerate an attack against any of its members. Much less, using arcane techniques that had demonic origins.  
  
Byakko noticed that the army had arrived in the scene. The court Sages must have felt the energy anomaly from the castle nearby, and called the army to investigate what had happened.  
  
Walking outside, backpack in tow, Byakko avoided the army, somehow taunted by their intimidating appearance. He was more so cautious knowing he might be asked questions later on, which would put him in grave danger.  
  
Byakko left the city that day. Outside the gates, Byakko looked back one more time at the city that he had grown up on. It might be the last time he would see it. There were fond memories of it in there.  
  
Sadly, the painful ones outweighed the things he enjoyed about it in that city.  
  
The acolyte heaved a sigh and walked away, not knowing where to go. But he didn't mind. He had a mission now.  
  
He must find his mother's relics. He had her wish; all that was left was her card.  
  
A few days had gone by, and Byakko never noticed that all his wandering had brought him to the magic city of Geffen. He reluctantly entered the city and decided to stay there for a while, until the troubles cleared up.  
  
[Geffen]  
  
Byakko enjoyed his stay at Geffen. Although the people were too kind for his taste, or that magic users mostly populated it, some arrogant ones, some modest, Byakko found his stay worthwhile in the city.  
  
It conveniently even had a dungeon inside the city, where he could practice for the meantime. The Poison Spores provided him loots and experience, especially when they were mobbing him, and the Dustiness was just as plentiful as well. The swordies and thieves just gaped at him as he used his bare hands (or claws, whatever rolls around) when he fought. But he didn't mind them, what was there to look about anyway?  
  
"Uh, hey man." A swordie meekly tried to get Byakko's attention. Byakko looked back at the boy and assessed him. No doubt in base level 35.  
  
"Can we party..."  
  
Byakko rolled his eyes. "If we can't even share, then I won't. SP is a precious thing around here, and I wouldn't want to waste it on a novice who couldn't even support himself upon going down to a dungeon." He retorted, pouring his sentiments on a Poison Spore that he clutched on his hand. He tore the Poison Spore's cap from its body, and crushed its slim form.  
  
"I...well...I..."The swordie ran away, almost in tears. Byakko would have cared less to the Poison Spore on his hand than to that crybaby swordsman.  
  
"Oi! You are such a rude acolyte!" A swordswoman called out from behind. She was a blonde haired woman, apparently cropped on the shoulders. She wore a distinctively antique Smiley Mask and a headgear that looks like an artificial apple with an arrow shot through it. Level 51 perhaps, Byakko assessed her too. Apparently, she had seen everything that had occurred.  
  
"Listen, grandma!" Byakko called out as well, still busy harvesting the Poison Spores that endlessly mobbed him. His support skills were doing well in keeping him alive. "I just said what needed to be said. And I'm not the pampering type, either. It's either live as the strong, or die as the weak."  
  
"Jeez, you're a temperamental acolyte are you?" The swordswoman apparently didn't mind Byakko's comment. She stepped forward and struck Magnum Break on the ground, deflating all the spores that were once the battle acolyte's.  
  
"Oi! No kill-stealing!" Byakko gave a /an expression as he calmly picked up the spores that had dropped, and placed them in the Deviruchi hide bag.  
  
The swordswoman stuck out a tongue at the battle acolyte. "Well, well, well. Look who came unprepared? Its just Dungeon rules dearie. There is no term as "kill-stealing" in a highly mobbed area." She giggled at Byakko's expense.  
  
Byakko just sweatdropped at her. "You're good, lady. Never thought I'd see a swordie that was THAT intelligent." He sneered at his side, as he cut the wings of a Dustiness he was attacking.  
  
The swordswoman looked at the acolyte, partly annoyed. She also stuck out a /an expression. "Hey! Who asked you to be the judge of that?!?!"  
  
"The truth hurts, ain't it?" Byakko felt satisfied at annoying the swordswoman.  
  
Much to his annoyance, the swordswoman just smiled. "You're an aggressive one. I like that in a fighter. The name's Myashka, battle acolyte." She offered a hand.  
  
Byakko accepted it. "The name's Tiger God Byakko, but you can just refer to me as Byakko." He clutched at the hand with his claw, which was truthfully sticky from all the spores and insect fluids that had passed through it.  
  
"Right..." Myashka flinched at her hand that was now dripping with monster innards. "So, you fight dirty like this everyday?" She proceeded to wipe her hand from the yucky stuff. Byakko grinned halfheartedly.  
  
"Not really." He started counting the spores, wings and insect feelers he had collected in his bag. "I just like fighting naturally."  
  
"Naturally?" Myashka piffed as she was fending off a large group of Poison Spores that had started to mob her.  
  
Byakko walked past her and settled into the middle of the mob. "Yep, naturally..."  
  
The swordswoman was startled as Byakko created an explosion that sent the Poison Spores flying in all directions; more powerful than any Magnum Break she had ever seen, possibly not even Magnum Break. The cave walls were littered with the deflated forms of the mushroom monsters.  
  
"Ei! That was good! How did you..." Myashka stopped as she found a torn piece of butterfly wing in the place where Byakko was.  
  
[Outside Geffen]  
  
After asking the locals where the Tool Dealer was, Byakko proceeded to her to sell his loots. He got a considerable sum for the spores and insect parts, and decided to retire the day by the famous Geffen bridges.  
  
After washing his claws (or hands, again, whatever that rolls around.) Byakko laid his tired form across the river. The Porings kept looting at his hand; apparently the scent of the spores and wings didn't go away. But he didn't mind the pink globs; it felt like a good massage for him. The Willows and Fabres crawled around; not minding him otherwise. Byakko looked at the happy Poring that was looting on him...  
  
"Hey, little guy. Want this Unripe Apple?" The platinum-haired kid offered a sour, green apple at the Poring.  
  
The Poring accepted the apple, giving out a /thx expression. After feeling somewhat full, the Poring hardened on the outside, until it sorta shriveled into a blue egg.  
  
Byakko placed the egg into his bag, and continued to lay in the riverbank. It was the most peaceful experience he ever had...  
  
"Nyao..." A swordswoman, who wore a cat-like expression on her face, popped up above Byakko's resting form.  
  
"Whaaa! Myashka!!!" The Battle Acolyte clutched at his heart, which began beating rapidly at the surprise. "Stop doing that!"  
  
"He he he... how come you left me inside the dungeon?" The swordie asked the acolyte.  
  
"It was boring me inside...nothing else to do."  
  
Myashka grew a vein on her head, and knocked Byakko straight on his head.  
  
"Baka! Aho! Bakatora! After you left, a flood of Poison Spores mobbed me! I spent 10 minutes gaining 1% in that area, and I lost it because I fainted!"  
  
Byakko rubbed the painful area on his head." Itai, itai, itai...Hey listen lady!"  
  
"Myashka..."  
  
"Yeah, whatever. You were never my responsibility in the first place; so don't go trailing on me like it was my fault! It was your own incompetence that caused you to faint. So don't go placing blames on people like it was their fault..."  
  
Byakko looked at her, who apparently was busy fondling the Poring on its chin (wherever that would be). "Eh, you were saying something?"  
  
"AAAGH! You are impossible, Myashka!" Byakko fell back, clutching his face with his hands. Myashka just giggled as she ran back to the city.  
  
"Tee hee hee. It was fun annoying you, Byakko! See you tomorrow!" The swordswoman waved at him, as she retreated to the city. Byakko just continued on with his catnap, wanting to rest even more.  
  
Geffen...maybe I could start new here...  
  
And Byakko slept peacefully for the first time.  
  
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"Ooooh! Tell me the story again, Dark Illusion!" Moonlight was on the edge of her seat. "How did Byakko injure that priest? That was exciting on the third time."  
  
"Intriguing. So, Byakko did manage to hurt supposedly "one-of-his-kind"." Baphomet stroked his goatee.  
  
"No..." Dark Illusion intervened." He realized that he never was human. Now he looks at human kind like some sport. I can feel it inside him. His deepest and darkest feelings. His greatest desire..." "Which is?" Dark Lord continued.  
  
"To kill humans. The greatest hunt he realized. There is a growing hunger inside him that wants his hands to be tainted with human blood." Dark Illusion finished.  
  
Dark Lord forced a grin as he stood up from his seat, and looked out from the castle window across to the fields of Geffen.  
  
Moonlight, Dark Illusion and Baphomet looked on at the undead MVP.  
  
"It's settled then. Hmm, Dark Lord?" Moonlight smiled at the MVP.  
  
"I will have no regrets over that boy..." Baphomet walked away to attend to his respawning period, leaving with a trail of juniors behind.  
  
"True..." Dark Lord replied at both of them. "I will have to see something about it myself..."  
  
"But...welcome, Byakko...welcome to our circle..."  
  
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So there, I kinda liked it though!

You can see me with ShadowEyes on pyramids right now, hunting for cards and loots. But other than that, life seems kinda boring.

Please read and review! Gosh! It makes me happy seeing your comments, whether good or bad.

Next update...uhm, 3 DAYS?


	6. Things Left Unsaid

Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Ragnarok Online. This is the property of Master Lee-Myoung Jin and Gravity Corporation. pRO belongs to its publisher Level Up! HOWEVER I do own anything within my sorry account, which means my character, is seriously mine and the character names I will use here are actually real people in the Philippine Odin Server. I'll have to give credit to them later on and I might mention some guilds, which are very much famous in our locale.  
  
Okay, so here is some point of clarifications I missed in Chapter 4.

One, after Byakko had seen his mother's death, certain knowledge trickled to him, sort of like he was learning something without knowing it. Good example would be Harry Potter speaking in Parseltongue (but that's another story).

Two, the skill he used against the priest was Lex Interna; a spell used by past MVP's to knock enemies back by how many squares and cause collateral damage.

Three, it seems that Byakko develops a split personality upon seeing things related to his past. One moment he seems happy, then he all looks murderous. (Yay, now he's a schizophrenic freak!) X p  
  
Concerning the battle between priest and Byakko, my Byakko in Odin managed to pummel a hunter AND a priest on PvP. I dragged a hunter along with my death, and concerning the priest; I used my Cursing Swordmace at him. Kept Blessing himself to rid the curse coz' he was a bit dummed to bring Green Potions. In the end, with all of his SP gone, I went for the kill and brought an end to his misery. His wizard friend showed up and I was Jupiteled to oblivion...  
  
This chapter, here are some clarifications that can clear up your queries later on.

Ehm, the ever-wonderful Lex Arcana spell! A convenient spell similar like the Archer's Arrow Shower, this wonderful limited skill causes the MVP to emit an aura that can knock enemies away by how many squares and has a chance to stun and/or blind them.

Then, by some freaky magic, the enchantment of Damnation transferred to his new Swordmace from his former Chain. I made it that way so it looks kinda like the Cursing Swordmace my battle acolyte has. ;

One note, there is a festival here that I added. It's the Annual Lumina Festival, held at Geffen every year. The main theme is the celebration of magic, and with this, all activities are geared on magic. Suddenly, Geffen seemed so populated...

And for the sake of convenience, player killing has been activated here. (Ack! If pRO went as far as to activate player killing and dungeon dropping, I'd gladly leave the pRO world!) /wah o0;  
  
To improve RO game play, press Alt F4...  
  
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Chapter 5: Things Left Unsaid  
  
Early that morning, Byakko found himself busying over a triple scoop ice cream across the parlor in Geffen.  
  
A familiar flurry of blonde hair came closing on him...  
  
"Groan...not her again..."Byakko said to himself as he pretended not to have seen her.  
  
The ever-annoying Myashka, but one Byakko liked to have around.  
  
Because he had to admit, she was starting to grow on him. The past few days, they were the constant partners down at Geffen. Myashka seemed more resilient than what Byakko had remembered. She had taken floods and floods of Poison Spore mobs, but on top of that, she was laughing her head off as the constant bumping of Poison Spores felt only like a tickle to her. Byakko could only sweatdrop at her. /swt  
  
She was also the only person in the world to pay attention to him. Well, there WAS the thief Shadow Eyes, but he wasn't there was he? Myashka was the second person Byakko ever told his secret, and like the former, promised never to tell a soul about the things she had heard.  
  
Myashka became like an older sister to her, even though she was way younger than Byakko himself. Her constant droning about how miserable life can be sometimes, then suddenly shifts to a happy-go-lucky kind of girl who never thinks of tomorrow amused him. Myashka was more mature for her age than Byakko is.  
  
"Well, there she is. Hope she won't..." Byakko shifted his head to escape Myashka's view. The swordswoman stomped in front of him.  
  
"ICE CREAM! Meh, Byakko! Care to treat me?" The blonde grew neko ears and started pawing at the annoyed acolyte.  
  
"Jeez...stop looking so pathetic. You make me sick...oh stop that already..." Byakko hated how her puppy eyes kept glaring stars at him. The cuteness was too horrible.  
  
"Oh here," He surrendered, giving up a few pieces of zenny to the swordie. Myashka gave a peace sign as she did a victory charade, then proceeded to an NPC to buy herself some ice cream too.  
  
"Na, Byakko..."Myashka looked at the sullen acolyte. "Why look so gloomy at this wonderful day?" She asked, looking up to the blue and peaceful sky.  
  
"...I...It's nothing..."He replied, finishing the last lick off his ice cream.  
  
"Ahh..."Myashka slapped her forehead as she remembered something." Now I remember why I came here. Wanna meet my pen pal?" Myashka cheerfully asked him.  
  
"Why? Is he or she coming here or something?" Byakko raised his eyes from his pertinent staring at his gloved hands. It somehow piqued his interest.  
  
"Yeah...he's an assassin. Can you believe it?" Myashka said while licking (gobbling sounded more like it) her ice cream. "Said he wanted to meet me here."  
  
Byakko began standing up as he raised a casual hand. "I'll pass..."  
  
Quick as a flash, Myashka stood and placed herself between Byakko and the path towards the Magic Tower.  
  
"Awww, c'mon. Don't be such a spoilsport. We'll have fun, the three of us! We'll go fishing, hunting, have a picnic by the riverbank..." Myashka droned on.  
  
"I'd rather go hunting down in the dirty mushroom farms than spend the day doing something I don't like. "Byakko gave a /an expression as he walked past the swordie.  
  
"I'll cry if you don't go with me..."Myashka threatened, her voice sounded heavy and desperate.  
  
"Oh jeez, don't give me that round of tears again. It won't work on me the third time around." Byakko continued walking towards the door of the tower.  
  
"I know I'll cry! And if I do, I'll blame you for it..." Myashka was now leaning on the edge of falling to tears.  
  
"Take care not to flood the whole city! I heard the GM's ban those kind of people..." Byakko disappeared into the passages of the Magic Tower.  
  
Myashka was almost going to bawl out her first round of crying session when a gloved hand covered her mouth, almost suffocating her from the surprise and instant deprivation of air.  
  
"Fine...fine..." It was Byakko who grew a distinctive vein on his head, much to the annoyance the blonde provided. He seemingly popped up at her back just in time to stop her from crying. Myashka knew Byakko would never want to hear her cry again. Last time he did left him stunned and dazed. It took a few more Green Potions to knock Byakko back to his senses again.  
  
Byakko retreated to his seat, as Myashka was walking around, browsing over the masses of people for the assassin. It was the Annual Lumina Festival at Geffen after all. People from around the Republic of Schwarzwald came to the city to view the main event later at night, the exhibition of magic from Geffen's finest.  
  
In a creepy sort of way, Byakko felt his spine tingling with chills. The hairs on his neck stood up, and his ears perked up in a way that could mean somebody was there. His steely eyes began probing for the area, to search for any sign of movement.  
  
All he could see was the distraught Myashka, who was still waiting for her friend.  
  
Undeterred, Byakko began summoning his mental will and conjured a flickering ball of bluish white light in his hand. The ball began revolving around the acolyte, it's flicker similar to a giant blue firefly.  
  
"Ruwach!" Byakko called out, and the ball began floating erratically. The ball flared up into two times its normal size and assaulted a tree nearby.  
  
From out of the tree, the ball knocked something off of it. It was a human, wearing indigo tights and a number of bandages around his body. Ruwach immediately disappeared as the figure bounded upwards and quickly moved at such a dramatic speed, intermittingly changing positions from left to right. Byakko could only keep up with seeing a violet shade moving fast towards him.  
  
"It was an assassin, maybe hired by that priest to seek revenge on me..." Byakko thought.  
  
Byakko instinctively grasped for his weapon when he felt someone mold his body into his. One hand grasped strongly at his right arm, as the other held a Quhab onto his neck. The rash breathing of the assassin brushed with Byakko's ears, the humid air passing through his mask. The acolyte was unable to move.  
  
He knew once an assassin fuses itself into his victim's form, it would be hard to escape as the body gives away its every move.  
  
A small tensing of the muscles, and the assassin would know he was planning escape...  
  
"He's good...too good perhaps..."Byakko thought as the assassin trailed the blade of his Quhab on Byakko's neck. "But...too cocky..."  
  
Stilling his body for a moment, Byakko gathered his energy to one thing in his mind...  
  
"Lex Arcana!" The acolyte shouted, as the air around him exploded. This sent the assassin skidding onto the cobblestone paths, who reacted by crossing his Quhabs across his face.  
  
Byakko took the opportunity of arming himself with his new Damnation Swordmace, as the assassin recovered from the attack. The air around the assassin suddenly floated of a dangerously purple dust, as his Quhabs dripped with an ominous fluid.  
  
The assassin rebounded back to the acolyte, his katars moving at inept speeds. Although Byakko's vitality held up, the sin's Quhabs shredded into Byakko. Small slashes and cuts appeared into Byakko's torn body. It didn't help that the poison was now creeping into his wounds, lowering his natural resistance and defense.  
  
Myashka, who now had his assassin friend in tow, came just in time to Byakko's aid. Her assassin friend, a dagger sin, took it from there and squared off in perfect synchronization against the katar sin. Metal against metal clanged in the air. Venom flew in the air, as each wielded their weapon of expertise.  
  
Byakko struggled to hold up on his own to give a Blessing and Agility Boost to the other assassin. The boosted assassin fought more furiously than before, until the katar sin retreated into the crowd, casting Cloak to hide himself.  
  
All bloodied and poisoned, Byakko tried standing up. Hazy and dazed, he almost fell had not Myashka supported him. The katar sin used the Detoxification technique, pressing some vital points onto the acolyte's body. Poison began flowing out, yet Byakko couldn't take the pain anymore.  
  
He fell over, much to the shouting Myashka made. The last things he saw were the assassin carrying him, and Myashka leading both of them back to Byakko's room in the inn as he fell into unconsciousness...  
  
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"Sugoi!" Myashka made a soft exclamation of surprise as she brought a basin of hot water to Byakko's room. Byakko was sleeping on his bed, neatly bandaged and treated of his superficial wounds. The assassin was treating him of his poison wounds, expertly dressing them up as well. "You mean to tell me...you know Byakko?"  
  
The assassin looked up from his work. "It just came in as a surprise that you also knew him. Didn't expect that of all people, I would meet him again. Honestly, you never mentioned him in your letters..." He politely took the basin and soaked a washcloth in it. He then placed it on Byakko's forehead. The acolyte just kept on breathing rapidly, chest rising erratically between each breath.  
  
"We met only three days ago. You mentioned leaving for Geffen in your last letter, so I was never able to tell you of new things happening around here." Myashka sat down on the chair beside Byakko's bed.  
  
"And did Byakko ever tell you he knew me?" The assassin took the washcloth again, soaking it and wringing it dry. He proceeded to clean the blood seeping off the wounds on Byakko's chest.  
  
"He did mention having a thief friend way back when he was still in his early years. But other than that, he never mentioned your name Shadow Eyes." Myashka looked worriedly over the ill acolyte. Even she missed annoying him for just an hour or three.  
  
"That's Byakko alright. He looks at the past more trivial than any other person." Shadow looked on at him. "He always believed, that in the end, there would be no one to depend on except yourself..."  
  
"Because of what happened to his family, ne?" Myashka continued on.  
  
Shadow looked surprisingly at the blonde. "He told you of his secret..." The swordie nodded wearingly at him. "You must have been very close for him to share his deepest secret with you..."  
  
"Just as you do?" Myashka forced a smile on her face. "We're the only friends he has. Maybe even a family to him, a brother and a sister..."  
  
"Yet no father and mother..." Shadow stood up and looked out of the window into the noon sun. "But I believe Byakko is strong. He managed living off without both parents..."  
  
Myashka thoughtfully looked at her hands. "I guess you're right..."  
  
Shadow...  
  
Both perked up and looked at who said it. It was Byakko, who apparently had woken up. He managed to cast a few Heal spells on himself before sitting up on his bed, after Myashka helped him prop himself up.  
  
"Shadow...you were right about me living off without parents. Yet, you were wrong about something." Byakko continued staring at the boy.  
  
"I...I am not strong. I was never strong. Most people would see me as the insensitive battle acolyte who is selfish over his skills. I tried keeping to myself everything that I had..."  
  
"...My happiness, my joys...my guilt, sorrow, fears...and pain as well."  
  
Tears started falling from those eyes that seemed distant.  
  
"Everytime I help someone, empathy starts to kick in. I can see the lives they had led. I can see...happy families...friends that came and celebrated with him in times of his joys, and consoled with him in his sadness...I can see things that I never had...things that I somehow wished for..."  
  
"But never got...."  
  
Byakko dropped his head over his revelation of thoughts, running his fingers into his tiger markings again.  
  
"Gods...I...I even wished I would have never met you in the first place! All these times, the things I only saw in you was that scared little thief wanna-be. But..."  
  
"But...after I shared my skills with you earlier, I saw it. I saw your life pass through. You were an orphan just like me. You grew up, unsafe and troubled in the desert streets of Morroc. Most people ridiculed you because you were unlike them. You had the ability to see the supernatural, to anticipate things that were to happen. You grew up in the same environment just as I had. But unlike me...over the years, which I shut myself away from others, you chose to be with people. You shared your time...and skills with them, and grew up to be an excellent assassin I see today..."  
  
The acolyte buried his crestfallen head in shame, breathing heavily amidst his sobbing.  
  
"That is how I define strong, Shadow. You managed life much better than I did, and somehow I feel jealous over it. But, it's too late to think about it, I guess. All I can say is..."  
  
"I'm just glad that you're here and I got to see you again..." Byakko was unable to hold his tears any longer, as streams of it started flowing freely from his eyes.  
  
"Don't say such foolish things, Byakko." Shadow interjected. "A person's strength does not determine his worth, does it? Let me remind you it is much harder for someone of your kind to live with the ones that killed your own. There is no point arguing the strength of another person." Shadow began walking towards Byakko.  
  
Leaning closer, he spoke softly against the resting acolyte's ear. "But that's just you, ain't it Byakko? What's important is that there are friends here that remain to support you. Don't worry about the past or the future, the present determines both."  
  
Byakko gaped at the assassin, who spoke of greater wisdom for his age. He cried heavily onto the assassin's shoulder, his tears now starting to lull him back to sleep...  
  
Shadow left off and laid Byakko back to bed, a small smile on his face, as he sat again on the chair, apparently tired of the flow of emotions that went in the room.  
  
"That was good, Shadow..." Myashka rested her head in her hands, listening to both of them. "Actually, you do kinda look cute up closer..." Myashka giggled, much to Shadow's blushing.  
  
"Say...uhm, why don't we go out into the festival later on in the evening? I'm sure Byakko would be up by then... "Shadow didn't stop his incessant blushing.  
  
"So long as it's your treat! "Myashka winked at him as she went downstairs to order some food for the three of them. Byakko only rested peacefully as Shadow stood guarding him. Who knows when the assassin will come back?  
  
"Byakko," Shadow looked over the sleeping acolyte. "You're like two persons in one. A ruthless fighter and a scared child. But which one is it?"  
  
Byakko only slept through the whole afternoon, peacefully, with his mother's wish on his neck. The crystal passed a mysterious small luster along its ebony veins, an omen that evil will arrive...  
  
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Hmm...actually I was kinda unsatisfied with Chapter 5. So after reading your reviews, I decided to do this chapter the night after I uploaded the previous chapter. Kinda weird huh? Pure sentiments here, but I guess words speak louder than a thousand actions. (Or was it the other way around?)Zzzzz  
  
Reviews, anyone?


	7. Alone

Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Ragnarok Online. This is the property of Master Lee-Myoung Jin and Gravity Corporation. pRO belongs to its publisher Level Up! HOWEVER I do own anything within my sorry account, which means my character, is seriously mine and the character names I will use here are actually real people in the Philippine Odin Server. I'll have to give credit to them later on and I might mention some guilds, which are very much famous in our locale.  
  
Clarifications here... [Forbidden Magic]-it is the act of combining two different spells to create a unique one, sometimes more powerful, sometimes weaker. The wizard's lust for knowledge and intelligence inspires him to create and combine different spells to obtain the desired effect. Such an act will consume him and destroy his physical body.  
  
Rules of Forbidden Magic:

[1] Any spell may be combined, however, the elements will determine the strength of the spell. If both the elements are complementary to each other [i.e. Fire and Wind, Water and Earth] they can create stronger magic [Flare and Erosion respectively]. However, it may create adverse effects if the elements are weak against one another, while one is stronger [Fire and Water, Wind and Earth] and can consume the other [Steam Blast and Grounded respectively].

[2] If both spells are of the same element, it will create a stronger spell, however it will leave the caster faint at the same time.

[3] Camp spells [Meteor Storm, Storm Gust, Lord of Vermillion, Heaven's Drive] may be combined, and it will produce no adverse affect to any caster, so long as two or more people combine their spells. [4] Effect spells [Quagmire, Stone Curse, Frost Diver, Fire Wall, Sense] and Trap spells [Fire Pillar] cannot be combined with other spells. It will produce no effect.

Agh! Just wanna tell you...I luv you guys! Thnx for the support! Wah! Reviews! Reviews!

(starts drooling across the screen...)

They say that...writers leave a part of him in every story that he writes. Every letter...every word...every page becomes a window to the soul and heart of a writer...

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Chapter 7: Alone  
  
Byakko had woken up to the sounds of the festivities that had commenced for the Annual Lumina Festival in Geffen. It was already dusk when he decided to suit up again and walk down to the stairways that would lead him outside to the streets of Geffen.  
  
There, Myashka, who was talking about certain things with the still blushing Shadow, met him up. Both had looked at his direction after they had heard the dragging of footsteps in the stairway.  
  
"Byakko..." Shadow and Myashka whispered as the platinum-haired acolyte staggered to their table. Still weak from this morning, yet well enough to move around and about. He sat at a chair opposite of both of them.  
  
"Guys...I...I wanna..." Byakko found it hard to manage a few words to come out of his mouth. "Well...I just wanna..."  
  
Myashka stood up and encircled her arms on the still stuttering acolyte. "It's okay, Byakko...we know what you want to say..."  
  
Byakko found his face turning red as he was still pondering whether it would be right to face the only two persons he had disclosed his revelation upon. The awkwardness was enough to cause him to black out again.  
  
"So...Byakko..." Shadow cut in over the acolyte's thoughts. "Where do you plan to go after the festival?"  
  
Byakko looked up to the assassin, who was thoughtfully drinking his coffee, ready to hear any new words the acolyte would say.  
  
"Well, I..." Byakko was looking for an answer. "I...I really don't know. I've reached Job Level 50...and, well...see..."  
  
_"Byakko!" His thoughts invaded him. "This is your friend! You can trust him!"  
  
_Byakko sighed. "I'm gonna look for my mother's murderers..."  
  
Shadow choked at his coffee as Myashka gave a /omg while slapping Shadow's back.  
  
"Seriously...you do know they are all high-leveled. How do you think will you be able to face against them? You couldn't even stand up against a single assassin..."Shadow frowned at the prospect of seeing him all mangled and deformed.  
  
Byakko only gaped at what Shadow had said. The assassin was right. How would he stand up against an entire party?  
  
Myashka suddenly screamed as she saw the festival floats pass-by the inn window. "Forget what you're talking about, people! The festival's already started! Let's go! "She excitedly dragged the two out into the streets with the other onlookers. Both men just gave a /swt at her.  
  
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"Master..." Dark Illusion rasped. "The festival is going to start any minute now..."  
  
"Now, now..." Dark Lord cracked his knuckles as he gathered energy from the evils of Glastheim. "There's enough time. I need to secure energy to allow myself to venture outside the realms of this castle..."  
  
"The foolish wizards of Geffen shall provide you aid, Master..." Dark Illusion interjected.  
  
"I know...humans are foolish enough to tamper with things best left to demons and evils. But...it never hurts to be safe..." Dark Lord was gathering up the last trickle of darkness.  
  
"There..." He said, finishing his ritual. "Call my other three servants...it is time to claim him..."  
  
Dark Illusion bowed low as he disappeared to call upon the other Illusions. Dark Lord only waved a hand, as his aura enveloped him, and him beginning to disappear as well.  
  
"It is time..."  
  
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The festival was well named indeed. Even though it was nighttime already, it still looked like noon inside Geffen, although the air was cooler. The wizards must have enchanted the whole city to make it look like it was day.  
  
Stalls and merchants lined the city streets as Myashka, Byakko and Shadow passed by to view their merchandise. The merchants and blacksmiths saw the opportunity of the festival, as it was a crowd drawer, and obviously enough, they did make huge profits over it.  
  
"Ooooh! Look, a Very Very Very Strong Fire Claymore! Wow, is that a Bunny Band?!?! Omigosh! An Angel Wing! "Myashka's head shuffled left and right as she was overwhelmed by the vast amounts of rares displayed at that moment.  
  
Shadow was giving thought over a plus 4 Sucsamad and was haggling with a merchant to trade it plus 200,000 zennys with his Apple o Archer.  
  
Byakko wandered around too, looking for some good cards to invest upon. It was nice he got a Sohee card for only 500,000 zennys. He slipped it on his Shoes and admired a certain aura that enveloped it after.  
  
[Received Soul-Enchanted Shoes – 1 ea]  
  
Shadow met up with him a few minutes after, proudly showing off his plus 4 Sucsamad. He was earlier using only a plus 5 Shrewd Damascus, but being power hungry and all, he was satisfied with his deal.  
  
"What do I need DEX plus 3 for?" Shadow rang an air of annoyance after Byakko commented that "he could have gotten a better deal if he just stashed the AoA for awhile".  
  
"Here I have an elite item that is unbreakable and powerful, and who wants to wear a plastic apple on his head that even smells like a rotten egg gone bad?" Shadow never stopped ranting, saying he did get a good deal at it; unknowingly earning death glares from hunters behind him that were wearing AoA's as well. /swt  
  
Byakko just left a small snigger pass through him as he covered his mouth with his gloved hand, hoping it will suppress his laugh. Shadow heard it and gave a small smile at him.  
  
"See? Doesn't it feel good if you enjoyed life for a while?" Shadow grinned like an idiot. Byakko could only smile at him...it was rare and uncommon for him to smile. The sensation was somewhat alien and new...  
  
And then something happened...  
  
"BAKA! AHO! Take THAT you overpricing FREAK!" A shrill scream rang inside the city as both men instantly recognized it.  
  
There Myashka was. Panting like a mad dog, as she was glaring rabidly at an unconscious merchant that had a cart shoved up forcefully into his nose.  
  
[Wonder how that would look like /swt]  
  
"Poor merchant, tsk, tsk, tsk..." An onlooker commented at the two boys. "The blonde was asking nicely about his red potions, and she would have almost bought a hundred when she realized the prices read "420 zennys each!" She did a cart revolution sort-of thing, bonked the heavy cart onto his head, and shoved the cart up his nose! Ugh, I don't think the best priest nor the Pope of Rune-Midgard can bring him back after what happened..." He said, shaking his head as he walked away.  
  
Myashka was still raving like a lunatic (pun intended) even after Byakko and Shadow dragged her away, before any GM would have showed up. They sat at the benches near the fountain to calm her down.  
  
"Seriously," Myashka drank a White Potion to cure her Auto-Berserk status." I would have shoved it up on his arse if he weren't crouching in that silly position! The nerve! How dare he try to scam ME! Of all the persons in the world! Why, I ought to blah, blah, blah, blah, blah blaaaah!"  
  
Shadow just snatched a Headset from a passing Wizard just to muffle her ranting, only returning it after a GM gave a death glare at him /heh. Byakko had it harder; he was putting into thought of just becoming into a priest so that he could cast Lex Divina on her...  
  
Byakko eyed a cart next to them. The blacksmith was sleeping soundly, so Byakko just took a few items and left the payment in place. This would solve the problem...  
  
Byakko took an empty bottle and drained the liquid from it's original container. "Here," Byakko offered the sweet-smelling substance to the hyper-active swordie "it'll make us all feel better..."  
  
Myashka took the "potion" and gulped it in one go. Minutes went by and they never heard another complaint from her again, much to the interest of Shadow.  
  
"WHAT was in it that you put, Byakko?" Shadow took the empty bottle and examined the yellow fluid in it. The acolyte just chuckled as he took a pot with the words...  
  
"Hunny"  
  
"Hhh, hhh! Ery hnny, Hyako! Hl het hyou hor his hen high het hy hout unhuck! Myashka managed to pull out a few words.  
  
[Translation: Ha ha! Very funny, Byakko! I'll get you for this when I get my mouth unstuck!]  
  
Shadow snorted a chuckle as Byakko laid down the pot, enjoying the company of both. It seemed that everyone was happy (even Myashka, who didn't mind being unable to talk for the meantime).  
  
The main event began to start; the moment people have been waiting for. It was the exhibition of magic, a full-flare no barred moment when wizards are allowed to cast all hell magic at the city. It was wizard heaven...  
  
It also served as a good solution for fireworks...  
  
The choir of wizards positioned just in front of the three, facing the entrance of the magic tower. Dismal Wizard placed himself in front of the group, composed of at least 15 wizards, 7 female and 8 male.  
  
At the signal of the Dismal Wizard, the wizards performed synchronized camp spells. The Meteor Storm wizards were allowed to cast first, as the time spent was a constant 15 seconds, chanting a liquid string of powerful words. Lord of Vermillion and Storm Gust chants then followed suit, the voices of the wizard's incantations melding together like an awesome Gregorian mantra. Powerful ley symbols on the ground appeared, each revolving in a constant rate, like a gear of an ancient clock.  
  
In a few moments, burning rocks appeared overhead the city; breaking the daylight enchantment of the wizard guildsmen, revealing the night air outside and bathing the city back in darkness. Lightning crashed side by side the meteors; others were fusing with the rocks to form super-charged meteors, cracking with static and flames.  
  
The meteors and lightning landed on to the center of the city, in front of the magic tower, and onto the revolving symbols on the ground; in perfect timing, synchronization and order. The ground shook as if a hundred Hammer Falls had happened, and super heated air rose from the crash site, bringing forth-glowing cinders of rock and ash into the air.  
  
The Storm Gusts followed, and the air dangerously began revolving into itself, creating a glowing tornado, like some sort of gigantic Fire Pillar. It was an awesome spectacle, the lights from the cinders glowed on and off irregularly, and all revolved into a twirling column of rising hot air and descending cold air.  
  
All the people cheered at the astounding sight, giving cheers and howls to the performing wizards. Dismal Wizard gave a bow, followed by the wizards. Then, he turned his attention to the burning column of fire and ice.  
  
"All wizards! Staffs at the ready! [cough]" Dismal raised his Staff of Soul at command. The wizards then chanted again, melding their voices in unison, as crackling balls of electricity started to form on their outstretched hands. The same ball of lightning appeared onto Dismal Wizard's hand.  
  
"[cough] Jupitel Thunder!" He threw the ball of lightning at the pillar, other balls following from his rear, as all other wizards fired too.  
  
The balls slid into the tornado, as static started to build up from inside. In a few moments, the pillar would burst and there would be no more. Dismal Wizard just walked towards his group to congratulate them, in his own miserable and grim way. ("Nice job you've done there! Hope you don't die tomorrow! [cough])  
  
"Well, that was nice..." Byakko commented, as he conjured up a Ruwach to provide light for them. Now that the enchantment was broken in the city, the only source of light left was from the burning pillar of fire.  
  
They had just started to walk back to the inn when Myashka insisted to come near the pillar.  
  
"But, Dismal said it would just be okay to go near it! It won't explode in your face if that is what you're thinking..." She pleaded to the two boys.  
  
"Oh crud, just...just let her go..." Byakko interjected an almost seemingly complaint from Shadow. "I'm sure you wouldn't want to hear her cry..."  
  
Walking past the other wizards and mages, who had used Sight also, Byakko's Ruwach stood out from them. At least he was unique...  
  
Myashka oohed and aahed at the pillar, the three of them 20 feet away from it. Yet, there was something strange...it should have collapsed a few minutes ago. Static was just building up from inside, but it never destroyed the pillar.  
  
Byakko was just going to talk to Dismal Wizard about it, when his Ruwach began to move erratically again, flaring up into a bigger ball of energy; it's sudden flash catching the attention of Dismal Wizard and the others.  
  
The Ruwach homed in onto the pillar, disappearing as well inside. Dismal and the others walked just behind Byakko and Shadow, as Myashka instinctively also backed up. It was indeed strange...  
  
A light flared inside the tornado, and then momentarily vanished...  
  
"JUPITEL THUNDER!!!" Five booming voices came from within the pillar, as balls of lightning flew out of it. The orbs of electricity hit Shadow and Myashka, who went flying towards the wizards, as the globes embedded into each of them, drilling like a persistent screw.  
  
Dismal had caught the two persons from the orbs, as the two globes rebounded back to the pillar. Sixteen orbs flashed out, targeting the wizards and Dismal.  
  
"Earth Drive!" Dismal swished his Staff, as spikes of earth, each in different ranges, started to rise from their feet and impaled incoming electricity. The young wizard suddenly collapsed, after using forbidden magic. Such an act used both spell points and HP as well.  
  
The pillar had indeed, finally busted, showering the whole city in cinder- ethereal magic. However, from it's core, an evil shadow came out. A spirit having a horned skull head and armored with green and bone armor seemed to be the source of an evil, yet very, very powerful magic. With him, were dangerously familiar-looking undead.  
  
"D...Dark Illusion..." Byakko assumed. Yet, there were four of them...all looking so similar and just the same.  
  
Shadow called out from his collapsed position on the ground.  
  
"Byakko! Get out of there! That's Dark Lord!!! Gods! Run away Byakko!"  
  
From the corner of his eye, Dark Lord glinted malicious pleasure upon seeing his prey so quickly. He would have assumed it would be harder to look for his intention among the many people.  
  
"So..."Dark Lord floated from the original location of the pillar towards the boy. "You're Byakko...I expected nothing less from you..." he rasped, closing in on the young boy, sensing his aura as if trying to remember it.  
  
Byakko fell from his position, feeling fear for the first time in years. Yet, he was already used to it. He did have an encounter with Dark Illusion years ago...  
  
A silver arrow whooshed by Byakko's ear and lodged neatly into Dark Lord's shoulder. It suddenly was dissolved into thin air.  
  
Dark Lord just stood from his position, laughing. The huntress was terribly annoyed at the reaction, and from her rear, other hunters were already lodging their arbalests and bows with arrows of silver.  
  
"SHOOT THAT GOD ----- BEAST!" The huntress shouted, a hundred arrows flying across the city of Geffen, all neatly embedding into him. Dark Lord just laughed at their pathetic excuse for an attack.  
  
"Heh, heh, heh..." Dark Lord finally calmed down." Did you know why I chose to appear at this moment?"  
  
The Dark Lord slowly moved his hand in the air. The cinders from the forbidden magic suddenly closed in to his fingers, as if fireflies were being attracted towards it.  
  
"It was because of your foolish festival that had given me so much POWER!" Dark Lord grazed his hand in the directions of the hunters. The cinders suddenly became sharp looking and flew towards them, like burning shards of glass.  
  
Each and every shard of energy embedded deeply into the hunters that had attacked Dark Lord. Most of the hunters slumped on the ground, unconscious from the magical attack. The remaining ones who survived were kneeling in pain and agony, the shards had the effects of cursing and poison.  
  
The wizards lined up on to Byakko's back. All of them with a glint of anger as they had felt their city was being invaded. All of them were seething with anger and revenge, especially at Dismal's demise...  
  
"Soul..." A wizard almost shot the undead with spirits of the ancients when he heard the ground rumble. It looked as if it came from within the magic tower.  
  
"Heeyah, yah!" A sound, similar to a stampede, came forth from the tower. It was no other than Doppelganger, the ghost who took the form of a dead swordsman. He was leading out a herd of Nightmares onto the city, all of them looking fierce and deadly.  
  
"Long time no see, Dark Lord!" Doppelganger waved an arm at him. Dark Lord gave a nod of approval at his timely arrival. With this, Doppel gave a malicious grin at the wizards that had been charging up their spells.  
  
"All right..." Doppel moved his attention towards the humans.  
  
"All of you will make a nice dinner for my Nightmare herds!" Doppel spread a grin of malicious intent.  
  
"HA HA HA HA! Die! Die! Die!" Doppelganger lost himself to the pleasure of slashing the humans with his Immaterial Sword. The sword went through their flesh and grazed their souls directly, draining them of energy and life. The Nightmares were grazing onto the dreams of the unconscious as well, feeding off the dreams and replacing them with bad ones.  
  
Byakko was unable to move, too dumbstruck at the sight of destruction around him. But most especially when he saw Myashka and Shadow slump onto the ground, doing their best to stand up and fight for their lives.  
  
"So..." Dark Lord turned his attention to the boy. "...are you ready to come back home? Byakko..." Deathly smoke seethed out of his mouth as he spoke.  
  
"What do you mean...I..." Byakko looked back at them. "I have my friends here! This is my home! Please...just leave me alone!" He stood up, gaining strength from the anger that was growing inside of him.  
  
Dark Lord feigned a look of disgust at the words Byakko spoke. But his eye caught something. Something that hung in Byakko's neck...  
  
Dark Lord came nearer towards the young acolyte, his size shrinking to that of the same height as Byakko's. He then grasped the necklace in front of Byakko's neck.  
  
"Are you sure of what...you are saying, Byakko..."Dark Lord gave a tone of taunting to the acolyte's words. True enough, the acolyte had been doubtful of what he had said.  
  
Why? Why am I not sure of my thoughts? Do I really want to stay here with my friends? Is this what I really want? Can they trust me?  
  
Can I trust them?  
  
Dark Lord exploited that doubt in Byakko's self. He knew he would have won now. There was something in doubt that always made him strong against people...  
  
Dark Lord mused to himself "It would take years and years of friendship to build a strong one, but the rot of doubt can crumble all of it in seconds..."  
  
Armed with this knowledge, Dark Lord thrust his gloved hand at Byakko's heart. The startled acolyte jerked towards it, gasping for breath, head falling backwards. Undead energies started flowing back and forth from Byakko's body and Dark Lord's arm. His hands and legs limped lifelessly in his sides, as all life seemed to drain from every corner of his soul, slowly, he fell into eternal darkness...  
  
[Byakko's thoughts]  
  
Why? Why is it so dark in here? I can't find my way out...  
  
Help! Somebody! Help me! Please!  
  
What's happening here? I can't see anything; I can't feel anything. Wasn't I somewhere before this? Wait...  
  
Who...am...I?  
  
Wha...what's wrong with me...why can't I remember?!?  
  
I...am...Byakko. My name's Byakko. I am the son of Sohee Mistress and Lord Eddga. But...why am I here?  
  
Yes...I remember...my mother was killed...and my father, I don't know...  
  
Does this mean...I'm alone now?  
  
Is there no one to go with me? Is there no one willing to be the family I had lost?  
  
There were...two persons...both of them...  
  
They...they...left me?  
  
They sold me for money...and I...I was made a hunting game by people...  
  
A son of MVPs...a rare prize indeed...  
  
I don't want it here!!!  
  
I don't want...to be alone!!!  
  
It was me who always ended up hurt in the end...it would be best if I were left alone!!!  
  
Isolated...  
  
No one else around...  
  
Why won't people just leave me alone?!?!  
  
What...a hand? Who is this? It's trying to guide me somewhere...  
  
Its cold, lifeless cold...yet, I find comfort and warmth in it...  
  
I feel that it wants to take care of me...whoever is at the end of this arm...  
  
I...I want to see you...I want to know...I want to ask you...  
  
Will I be alone again?  
  
[End thoughts]  
  
Byakko woke up, trapped in mid-air, Dark Lord's hand still deeply embedded into his body, and tears stinging his eyes. Yet he didn't mind...  
  
He grasped the strong arm of Dark Lord, and felt its strength and texture; not minding it was buried halfway inside him.  
  
"It was you..." Byakko mumbled, his head looking up towards the powerful creature.  
  
"Yes...Byakko. You belong to us..."  
  
"We are your true family..."  
  
Byakko surrendered to his weakness, offering no resistance to Dark Lord.  
  
"Then...please...take me back...take me with you...I...do not belong in here."  
  
Shadow woke up to hear what Byakko was saying in delusion. He saw Byakko's expression. His eyes, lifeless and empty. His face, pale and calm.  
  
"Bring me back to my true family..."  
  
Dark Lord nodded in assent as he took his arm out of Byakko. He encircled his palm into Byakko's torso and brought the young boy closer to himself, bringing him into an embrace with himself.  
  
"Byakko! No! What the hell are you doing with that monster?!?!" Shadow shouted in desperation, hoping that the acolyte will hear. Myashka woke to the sight of Byakko being carried off.  
  
"Get down from there, Byakko! That's a monster you're dealing with!" Myashka shouted in unison with Shadow. Her hair blew with the wind; tears cascaded from her desperate face.  
  
Byakko looked back to the annoyances that were shouting at him. Glaring at them with half-lidded eyes, he brandished his fangs in disgust.  
  
Shadow and Myashka only looked at him as he was slowly carried off by the undead, back to the castle of Glastheim.  
  
Doppelganger and his pack of Nightmares had already retreated back to the magic tower, apparently fulfilled of their carnal desire for dreams of humans. Shadow and Myashka only looked around them, to find unconscious people lying around.  
  
Myashka covered her mouth as she began sobbing softly. "Please...let this be a nightmare..." She cried, burying her face into the assassin's shoulder.  
  
Shadow could only offer her his comforts as he softly whispered to the swordswoman too...  
  
"I wish you could've been right about that..."  
  
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Ahh! Too angsty! That's what I get for not having a muse! Hmmm 4,225 words...now that's a bit short...but that will have to do for a week...  
  
Reviews make happy y'know...(starts pawing people and grows neko ears...)


	8. Passage Through Rite

Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Ragnarok Online. This is the property of Master Lee-Myoung Jin and Gravity Corporation. pRO belongs to its publisher Level Up! HOWEVER I do own anything within my sorry account, which means my character, is seriously mine and the character names I will use here are actually real people in the Philippine Odin Server. I'll have to give credit to them later on and I might mention some guilds, which are very much famous in our locale.  
  
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Chapter 8: Passage through Rite  
  
Only the acolyte's heavy footsteps resounded in the quiet hallways of the ancient fortress that was once Glastheim. He was still in his hallucinated state, eyes half-lidded as he quietly trudged the moldy carpet that led them to the center of upper Glastheim.  
  
Dark Lord and his four servants led the boy towards the great hallway, passing through the Alices that had been cleaning the castle endlessly. Until now, the boy had been unusually quiet, even for his standards...  
  
"Illusion..." Dark Lord raised his finger and called for him. "_Tenere koro ga Byakko kurakesen..._"  
  
"Illusion, why don't you try talking to the boy..."  
  
Dark Illusion gave a small nod as he swept past his three companions to settle to the boy's side. Placing his hands in his back, he tried striking a conversation with the uninterested boy...  
  
"Byakko..." Dark Illusion started. "...how many months had it been since we last met?"  
  
Byakko gave an intent look at the undead, somehow uninterested to answer back.  
  
"..."  
  
"_Illusion...luro sayen phera kagrun tere...Byakko tessen phirma oretesuga..._" The acolyte spoke back, his voice stressed and deep.  
  
"Illusion...there is no need to speak in human words...I have found it disgusting in my mouth..."  
  
Dark Illusion gave a startled look at him, but calmly decided to go on with the conversation.  
  
"_Byakko fere saiyuu trame Fatari maris...Illusion peretra Byakko tozukaga has num peretreza..._"  
  
"So, you know how to speak the tongue of the Forsaken...I doubt you were the one I knew back then..."  
  
Byakko remained quiet, leaving Dark Illusion with the thoughts whether the boy wanted to negate or affirm that question.  
  
_"...Illusion ferezen trami orekentra sufura fibreli..."  
  
_"...You just don't know how right you are..."  
  
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Shadow just flinched away as Myashka applied some Alcohol onto the wounds of the assassin. Unluckily, the priests and priestesses that had arrived from nearby Prontera were still reviving half of the citizens of Geffen after what happened last night, nobody entertained for their requests of healing. They just found themselves sitting in the bench where they were last night, before it all happened...  
  
"...Oh, I'm sorry if this hurts a bit..." Myashka made a sound of empathy as she dragged the cotton boll across a long gash on Shadow's arm. The assassin had bravely fought against Doppelganger, but poison didn't seem to be just the right element against Ghosts. He earned the gash after the phantom swordsman grazed the edge of his sword into him.  
  
"Its ok..."Shadow just clenched his teeth, the pain stinging into his shoulder as the agonizing sensation crept from the wound. "Still...what hurts me more is what happened to Byakko..."  
  
Myashka packed her First Aid kit, as she replaced them back to her side bag and sat, side by side with the dagger sin.  
  
"I...I think...it was all my fault..." Myashka hung her head in shame, covering her eyes from expressing tears. Shadow just gazed at her with eyes pained with grief as well.  
  
"If I just followed your warning...if we never went close to that pillar...Byakko would have still been here...with us..." The swordswoman fell to the assassin's shoulder, preventing any more restraints as she cried like a child who lost an important thing.  
  
"Don't...don't blame yourself..." Shadow raised the swordswoman's hair-strewn face, holding her up by her chin. "...Dark Lord came and was looking for him in the first place...I don't think it would have stopped him finding Byakko even if we had hid him in any place...so, please...don't blame yourself for any of the things that had happened..." Shadow gave a weak smile as the swordswoman affirmed it too.  
  
"You're right...there's no use crying! It won't help us finding him back...let's go to Glastheim and take him back!" Myashka raised her foot on the bench, fists clenched as she faced the direction of the ominous castle.  
  
Shadow gave a /swt at here. "You do realize that you're still a swordswoman, do you? How do you think will you stand up against the horrors of Glastheim..."  
  
"Then, I'll train harder! I will train harder, until we get Byakko back to us!" Myashka raised her fist in the rising sun. "I will get you back, Byakko..."  
  
Shadow just stood up as he suddenly began talking to a priest that was sitting by the fountain, apparently resting himself after all the resurrections that he had done earlier that morning. After a quick agreement, Shadow handed him two blue gems that he dug up in his pockets; as the priest held one and crushed it in his hand, creating a portal in front of them.  
  
"Ikku, Myashka-kun..." Shadow offered his hand to the swordswoman. "I'm going to help you train..."  
  
Myashka bashfully smiled as she took the sin's hand and let herself be led to the portal in front of them...  
  
"Please...wait for us Byakko...we're coming to get you back..."  
  
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Almost half of the council strained to look at the new arrival of Glastheim. Byakko silently prostrated before the members of the court, his breathing still and calm. Most of the members were stunned at the resiliency that the boy showed before them.  
  
"Byakko...stand up..." Baphomet ordered the acolyte, who promptly stood at the request of the great demon.  
  
Bringing his scythe to the boy's chin, Baphomet tilted the acolyte's head ever so slightly to observe the remnant ebony tiger markings.  
  
"Yes...it reminds me so of her..." Baphomet murmured as he intently viewed the ciphers.  
  
"So...you're Byakko." Moonlight circled him, purring ever so slightly. "You're cute...can you be my husband?" she teasingly prodded her bell staff onto the boy's chest. Byakko can only ignore her.  
  
"ENOUGH!" Dark Lord intervened. Baphomet stared daggers at him, and Moonlight just stuck her tongue out before returning to her seat." I advise that everyone would their seats as we can start discussing our matters."  
  
"Byakko..." Dark Lord laid his eyes upon the still boy. "For the past few days, we have constantly observed you. Your every activity leads us to accept you, as the new MVP in place of one we have lost..."  
  
Byakko flinched at what he would say.  
  
"Your mother..."  
  
Byakko looked up to the undead.  
  
"Will you accept this role, Byakko? To become the new MVP in place of our dear Sohee Mistress? Will you take on the role, of maintaining the balance between humans and monsters, as prescribed by the Fates itself? Will you accept being born and reborn again to maintain continuity in the wheel of time, no matter how painful it might be?"  
  
"No..."  
  
Dark Lord raised a brow at what Byakko had said. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?! SON OF SOHEE MISTRESS?"  
  
"What are you doing?!?! This is for our mother...Are you sure it really is for her? Or is it just to quench your thirst for pain and blood?" Byakko began speaking in two voices. Both Baphomet and Moonlight looked intently at him.  
  
The acolyte knelt with the greatest insecurity, a dark aura enveloping him.  
  
"No...it isn't just for mother and me...it's also for you. I would never forgive those who had provided so much pain for you...brother."  
  
With a flash of light, another body emerged from the kneeling acolyte and stood behind him. It looked like a twin of some sorts.  
  
"I'm...sorry then. We'll do this together, brother." The other helped the kneeling acolyte up. There they saw each other face to face, a perfect replica of one another.  
  
The newly emerged Byakko just encircled his hands onto the other as he laid his head on the other Byakko's back. The three MVP's no doubts were intrigued by what had just happened.  
  
"Dark Lord, I am ready to undergo guidance to fulfill the wish our mother had set before us. Please tell us what to do to prove ourselves worthy in your eyes...and the others..."  
  
Dark Lord took a scroll from the court Sageworm and read out the contents of it.  
  
"_Rebelech chera shekem furi obirei obirei kanatravara orikon troika felomela enere trima sorekede framish obiron wecos sumistre trevas. Orkon detremen gracos soriken promio ogira orica vicos_."  
  
To take the role of one who had given it up, the applicant must bring the relics of one who had passed away. Only then shall the powers of the past and present be bestowed upon the applicant."  
  
Dark Lord rolled the paper up, before facing the boy again.  
  
"You have your Mother's wish, now the only thing needed is her card. In order for us to commence your transformation, the card is the most important of it all."  
  
Byakko placed his hand on his chin as he began to think about what to do. His twin was still sleeping on his back.  
  
"But for now, I suggest you rest Byakko, Son of Sohee Mistress. We will commence this affair the next day, at the rising of the moon. Dark Illusion will lead you to your sleeping quarters." Dark Lord motioned for his servant to lead the two.  
  
Byakko carried his sleeping twin as they walked the twisted hallways of Glastheim. Dark Illusion had been unwittingly quiet until...  
  
"Byakko...you never told me you had a twin."  
  
Byakko gazed at the face similar to him, somehow amused by it. "Fortunately yes. We shared one body, as we were sealed by the holy powers of the Sanctuary. He was the reason I still kept my sanity when I was still staying in that accursed human world. This Byakko...he was good with people and with supporting me, both in battle and when I feel depressed." Byakko ran a finger into that peaceful face before him.  
  
Dark Illusion ran a smile across his face as he opened a room recently prepared by Alices. Byakko thanked him and proceeded inside. He gingerly laid the sleeping acolyte into the bed, and settled side by side with him.  
  
There, they slept in an embrace of brotherly affection; keeping the cold air out as they felt and shared the warmth of each other.  
  
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Yup, I know it is kinda too short for a wait kinda too long. And I know it isn't up to my standards either. It's dang too short! And no plot either.  
  
That's because I'll be using this chapter as plot hole filler. Right...another pathetic excuse  
  
No, really. Just been busy creating another fic. It's still Ragnarok, but it's dedicated to Loki, the assassin! shame to those who hadn't seen the manga yet  
  
Anyone care to check it out? Don't mind if there is no review for this chapter, I'll be working more on Chapter 9. Still have exams ya' know! 


	9. Starting Again

Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Ragnarok Online. This is the property of Master Lee-Myoung Jin and Gravity Corporation. pRO belongs to its publisher Level Up! HOWEVER I do own anything within my sorry account, which means my character, is seriously mine and the character names I will use here are actually real people in the Philippine Odin Server. I'll have to give credit to them later on and I might mention some guilds, which are very much famous in our locale.  
  
Peh, sorry for the delayed update of this fic. Me had been very much busy with my real life. Besides, I haven't played much on pRO as of the latest. There is absolutely nothing new in it as of the time I am writing this, so why the heck should I spend at least 50 pesos and add to the incessant lagging already in the servers? Unless Juno patch arrives by at least early November, I have no plans whatsoever of returning to the world of Ragnarok Online. Period.  
  
Again, sorry for the late update! Gomen nasai!  
  
I'll be using my experience in a private server for the meantime, though in my opinion, servers like these (such as kRO, DarkWeiss, and NoNameRO) are not ILLEGAL. They make good experimenting grounds for hypothetical builds. Maybe SOME other people are just jealous that they have competition.

hint"B.C."hint.  
  
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Chapter 9: Starting Again  
  
Byakko intently watched his brother sparring off with a Wander man in the Glastheim Castle hall. His brother was nit in concentration as he was blocking off and retaliating every move that the old grandpa was dealing back.  
  
There was something different between the two brothers, though identical in the most obvious of physique. One was gentle-mannered, kind and seemingly quiet and calm. The other was brute-tempered, hotheaded and very much frank and possessive of his sibling. Yet, they complemented very much each other's characters; like fire and ice.  
  
Both had shared the same body for almost a quarter of their lifetimes and had known each other quite well enough. There were no hidden things between them, no secrets at all. Nothing to be ashamed of.  
  
It was perfect confidence and trust between the brothers.  
  
Byakko snapped back as his brother bid the undead swordsmen goodbye. Seems like they had finished their little dueling practice...  
  
"Gee, thanks gramps! It was nice of you to spar with me for a while!" Byakko smiled, baring his fangs as the Wander man just gave a silent nod and replaced his Muramasa into the sheath of his scabbard. Byakko stood up, holding a towel for his brother, as the other retreated to where the former was sitting.  
  
"Y'know Byakko...it's kinda hard if people would address us with the same name, don'tcha think?" He sat beneath him, looking up at his mild-mannered sibling as the other was attending to his wounds that he received from the duel.  
  
"You're right...have you any suggestions as to what we can do about it?" Byakko quirked at him, as the other buried his face into the towel.  
  
"Yeah, you keep the name. People can call me "Tiger". I'd like it that way." Tiger looked up at him from his position between the legs of his brother.  
  
"Hmm...it does suit you." Byakko hugged his brother as the other closed his eyes, basking at the warmth and empathy the other was giving to him. Both had learned very much to depend upon each other, right from the start...  
  
The candlelights around them suddenly dimmed as Dark Illusion came into the presence of the hallways, apparently searching for the two.  
  
"Young masters...the Council wishes to speak with you...apparently concerning your future..." Dark Illusion bowed low as he silently retreated to the Council Hall.  
  
"Let's go, Byakko..." Tiger stood up and offered his hand to his brother. Byakko just smiled and took the hand, letting himself be led by his brother; finally seeing him face to face for over a long time now.  
  
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"Sons of Sohee Mistress..." Dark Lord addressed the two, who silently prostrated before the court. "In order to fulfill the role left by your mother, you have to complete the Rites as prescribed by the evil Lord Sakray..." Dark Lord began unfolding an ancient parchment from the folds of a Rideword.  
  
"You must fufill a pilgrimage to the MVP's in the order of the triad from the Clock Capital, to the path of the city of the Frontiers, then to the watery graves of the Port capital, towards the mountains and to the highlands of the city of the descendant of the four Constellations. The journey must direct itself to the magic city for the last destination before finally returning here. By this time, all the relics of the former MVP must be at hand..."  
  
Tiger and Byakko already had a mental note on the order of the MVP's...from Lutie's Toy Factory was Stormy Knight and near it was queen Mistress, then Prontera's hidden temple is where Baphomet can be seen sometimes, down to Morroc is where king Osiris and the Pharaoh resided, to the Ant Hell of Phreeoni and queen Maya, then to the Ports of Alberta where captain Drake was staying, upwards to the mountains the location of Lord Eddga, then to Payon's Moonlight Flower, back to the culverts of Golden Thief Bug, then to the Orc villages of the Orc Lord and Orc Hero, then to the tower of Doppelganger, and finally back to Glastheim: Dark Lord...  
  
"You may return when your journey is over, only then can Lord Sakray grant you your privileges. You must obtain a special relic from each MVP visited to give proof of your visit..."  
  
Both the acolytes slowly stood up as a swirling black hole started to form under their feet.  
  
"Go...and may you succeed..." Dark Lord swirled his hand as both acolytes fell to darkness.  
  
May you succeed...  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
"Ouch..."Byakko woke up, rubbing his head in pain. Both had awoken to a strange room filled with clock gears and floor gratings. Tiger soon followed to consciousness, eyeing the room carefully and observantly.  
  
"It seems we've fallen into one of the floors of the Clock Tower..." Tiger had finally voiced out his observation. Byakko gave a nod in agreement as he stood up, wobbling a bit, feeling dizzy from the trip.  
  
"Dark Lord had said that our journey would start in the land of eternal snow, Lutie." Tiger stood up, resilient of the dizziness his twin had experienced. "We could catch a ride with Father Christmas outside this tower."  
  
Byakko gave a smile at him. "While we're still here, why don't we rest for a while? Dark Lord never said something about a time limit, did he?"  
  
Tiger gave a sweatdrop at him, but then smiled back. "You're right...that's what I like about you..." Byakko looked at him. "...You're too carefree. It's that thing that what draws me the most to you."  
  
Byakko stuck his tongue out. "And you're too stuck-up with yourself, brother. You only have fun when you battle. You never have time to do little things in life not worth your attention and effort."  
  
"Like love?"  
  
"Uhuh..."  
  
"I already have to take care of you, Byakko. What's more to add?" Tiger shrugged his shoulders, much to the annoyance of Byakko. But nevertheless, both cannot deny that they only have themselves to depend on...  
  
"You came into this world alone and you'll die alone"...this was what both had stood up for in their lives. But they came together, so it could only mean that it would be only them that they could depend on...  
  
The brothers stood and decided to walk the length of the corridor. They had safely passed through the Alarms and Skeleton Archers down to the Punks and Clocks, although Tiger was irking his brother to let him take a bash at the faces of the Alarms.  
  
"C'mon! I wanna kick that stupid Alarm's face! Just one, Byakko!" Tiger was pathetically begging Byakko, who gave a face of exasperation.  
  
"You're gonna get us in trouble if people spy an acolyte beating the crap out an Alarm. You wouldn't want to be in the news do you? Or have you forgotten what had happened at the Sanctuary..." Byakko reminded him.  
  
"WE were both furious at that time, no one can blame us. Our anger fueled our careless action, but nevertheless we got our mother's Wish..." Tiger stood up from his pathetic groveling to join up with walking down the hallway; bashing the head of any undead crap that tried shooting at him or Byakko.  
  
"/..."  
  
"Ok master, let's just get going." Tiger piffed at the word of Byakko. He might be an able fighter, but his weakness just lay straight at his brother.  
  
"...you make me sick..." Byakko playfully chided at him, much to the amusement of the two. The hallways echoed with their laughter when sand and dust suddenly collected before them. Tiger stood in front of his brother, claws at the ready for any sudden moves from the cloud of powder. A woman clad in a traditional skirt of virgin holding a an old broom came into view...  
  
Tiger relaxed his stance as Byakko peered over his shoulder. Both had recognized the face of the one before them...  
  
"Flower Lady..."  
  
She just smiled foolishly as she waved an open hand at them. "Hmph! Miss me?" Both boys ran into her, laughing and embracing the long-lost friend.  
  
Flower Lady affectionately ruffled the hair of the two boys who clung at her. "My! Look at both of you! So, you've finally separated...I almost wondered when you'd finally do that..." She smiled warmly at both of them, who finally let go and faced her.  
  
"I'm still Byakko. And this is Tiger, my older brother." Byakko introduced his brother's new name. "How did you know we shared one body?"  
  
"Secret..." Flower Lady stuck her tongue out. "Really, I have my connections. I just came here to secure that you've finally arrived. You'll be seeing more of me in every city you pass, but for now, I must go. Wouldn't want risking my head to hunters here. So...see you later!" Flower Lady took off in her broom, bidding both of them a temporary farewell. Byakko and Tiger had continued walking towards the entrance of the clock tower.  
  
"Ahhh, sunshine..." Both had squinted at the light after days of exposure to only darkness. Tiger suggested finding an inn for the meantime, while he would scour for supplies that would last their trip. Byakko agreed to this and in a few minutes found a suitable place for them.  
  
While waiting for his brother, Byakko approached an NPC that was selling hot chocolate and coffee. Sparing a few zennys from his pocket, he ordered a cup of each for both of them. Minutes later, Tiger arrived and closed in on the other, who was sitting by the gutter; the cup of chocolate meant for him piping by.  
  
"Here, I brought you a cup of chocolate." Byakko handed the cup to him, while slowly bringing his own to his lips. Tiger took the offer and sat down beside him, both looking out to the waters of the canals of Aldebaran.  
  
"I brought ourselves a few concentration potions and emergency pots for when the time comes. Other than a few carrots and meat when we go hungry, I also bought this..." He handed to Byakko a rectangular thing wrapped in motley clothing and bandages. From the look of it, it would be a...  
  
"You bought an unidentified book?" Byakko's voice dripped with sarcasm, either from fury of his brother's stupidity or from pity of it. /...  
  
"Hey, it was a deal. Only 50k. C'mon, open it... The woman said it was special..." Tiger grinned foolishly at him. Byakko could only comply.  
  
Using a magnifier, Byakko searched through the bindings until he found the mark that would release the book from its possession. Out of the trappings, a rather odd-looking black book fell through. It emanated some sort of cold, dark glow...  
  
"What the...this is a book of Revelations! How the...from whom did you get it Tiger?!?!" Byakko was shocked at the find, much less envying his brother for his lucky catch.  
  
"Told you it would be worth it..." Tiger just grinned, taking another sip from his cup. He then looked back to his brother, somehow amused at his initial reaction, only to see him embrace the book, tears starting to flow from his eyes.  
  
"Thank you, Tiger..."  
  
"..."  
  
"You know, before we separated, it was hard for both of us to live...I mean, we somehow see glimpses of ourselves when we shuffle personalities, but this is much different...seeing you in front of me. Somehow, I don't feel as much alone as before..."  
  
"..."  
  
Byakko looked straight to those cerulean eyes of his own. "...But now that you're here, I'm really glad...that I knew I'm not alone anymore." He returned his gaze back to his cup of coffee, unsure of his brother's reaction.  
  
He had only felt his brother's strong back lean against his own, as Tiger settled behind him casually. "Byakko...you say too many things for what you want others to know...I've always been behind you, and took over in times you felt threatened. I took care of you when you were asleep, and always looked back to check on you everytime I fight for our survival. There's no need for appreciation..."  
  
A short pause.  
  
"To know that you are safe by my side, to know that you need me...to know that you are well and good is all that I need as a thank you...because if I never knew I had you, I myself would have gone insane..."  
  
Byakko leaned back to understand all what Tiger had to say.  
  
"You just don't know how hard it would be for me if you would leave me...to be alone in this cruel world...to have no one to give my attention and care...to not have someone who truly trusts and understands me like you do...I would deliver my soul to Death himself if that would ever happen..."  
  
Byakko brushed his brother's hand that lay beside him, giving a soft whisper as his reply.  
  
"I would too, brother...because I also feel the same way for you..."  
  
Both settled comfortably as they viewed the setting sun across the mountains. Tomorrow would be the start of their new journey, one that would determine fate in itself...  
  
A few minutes later, they packed up, heading to the inn Byakko had directed. Night would be coming in fast, and they had to wake up early for the start of their journey.  
  
Not realizing that two rather unfamiliar shadows lurked in the corner of a building...  
  
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Ehm, pretty short for a comeback, isn't it? But really, I was just starting to break from writer's lag. Promise, I'll put some action into the next chapters or so...  
  
Flower Lady has made a comeback, two shadows in a corner...what else could happen? Oh, please by the way, don't confuse brotherly love for yaoi here. might kick me out for misratings. I assure you! It is not yaoi! No yaoi here! If you want yaoi, go look at where I'm pointing...(points at Transgressions of Fate by ragnar-pendon)  
  
(Gets slashed by Shadow's Sucsamad...waaah!)


	10. Tigers and Snow Go Together

Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Ragnarok Online. This is the property of Master Lee-Myoung Jin and Gravity Corporation. pRO belongs to its publisher Level Up! HOWEVER I do own anything within my sorry account, which means my character, is seriously mine and the character names I will use here are actually real people in the Philippine Odin Server. I'll have to give credit to them later on and I might mention some guilds, which are very much famous in our locale.

Argh! Sorry, and I mean, SORRY! For the very, very late update of this story. Gak! pRO kept me waiting and waiting for the Juno/Yuno Patch. Argh! Shove that silly patch off their unshaved arse! I decided to abandon the stupid waiting and decided to go on with life as it is.

No more room for excuses. I decided to take matters in my own hands. So what if the silly patch doesn't come? That doesn't mean I can just lay off in my interest in writing, don't I?

So, after a millennia of waiting, and I quote "You are so incompetent!" by a special someone.... (sarcasm drooling over the place, you can cut the apathy with a blunt knife, plastic even...) I decided to go back in track and go on with the story. Shadow had beat me by already posting up his 16 chapters, which left me horrified if I do say so myself.

Enough, on with the story...

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Chapter 10: Tigers and Snow always go together

"_And the time would come...._

_when the mother of all snakes would devour the sacred soul of Yggdrassil;_

_that Hel, Rune-Midgard, and Valhalla would come crashing down with the tree of reality._

_Odin would die and so would the gods..._

_The twilight would begin for the immortal creatures as foreseen by the Norns._

_The twilight of the gods, that would be Ragnarok..."_

The two found themselves inside a room in an inn, night fleeting outside the building. Only the candle gave enough light inside.

"Uhm, hey Byakko..." The other snapped back at the sudden disturbance his brother did. Tiger grinned foolishly as he took his hand off the front of his brother's face.

"Tiger..."Byakko whined. "I was reading the book, okay?" Byakko waved the grim book at him, his brother backing in fraudulent fear.

"Silly you..."Byakko managed to bring a whack at his brother with his free hand. "Go to sleep now, we have to go early tomorrow."

"If you say so, Byakko-sama..."

"Knock it off..."

"Uhm...mm..."

Byakko looked at his older brother, who fell asleep faster than he could wake up.

He had finally felt it best to retire for the night, bringing the book down and shutting off the candle that provided the only source of light within the room.

A few minutes pass by...

"Byakko...now?" A soft whisper.

"No...not yet..." A reply came.

"Damn it...I can't keep my hands to myself..."

"Patience, brother. Or do you want to do this?"

"Argh...you always have me by the neck!"

"Enough talk and keep your mouth shut..."

"Byakko-samaaaa..."

".........now!"

Two globes of light exploded from their sheets as it started to move across the room erratically; before finding sight and closing in on the ceiling, where a dark figure came and fell before them.

"Ruwach...works everytime." Tiger formed a pistol with his hands and blew at it haughtily before taking his position beside Byakko who had risen to examine the bodies that fell.

"Another assassin?" Byakko rolled his eyes in sarcasm. "I mean, c'mon, is that the only way they know how to introduce themselves without being knocked off by magic?"

"Ehh?" Tiger began cracking his knuckles, his nails now growing longer and sharper. "I think we're gonna have some time out of us tonight." He began cracking the joints in his neck as well.

From out of the blue, a dagger flew past the acolytes and dug itself neatly into the wooden post that stood across the room. Tiger had let a snarl out as Byakko assessed where the direction came from, it was from the window.

A knight, obviously female for her armor was fitting to her curves, came flying in brandishing her Saber at both acolytes and taking her side with the slowly recovering assassin. This time, it was Byakko's turn to do the same as Tiger, preparing himself for the battle that was to ensue.

"Lex Interna!" Byakko thrust his palm forward, with the wind behind him following the chord of his movements. Both of the surprised bodies flew into the night air, along with the destroyed side of the room. Byakko thought it best to take the fight outside, as the room would cramp and ruin their style of fighting...to both of them.

"Y'know Byakko" Tiger flew at his brother's side, as Byakko appraised what he wanted to say." That was gonna go out of our bill, wasn't that?"

"Better to destroy one side of a room than to destroy the entire building..." Byakko grinned back, much to the entertainment of Tiger.

Both had landed on their feet as the knight and assassin took their fighting stance. Byakko and Tiger did the same, taking their positions of fighting instinct.

Both the assassin's and the knight's blades suddenly fevered with a pinkish tint. The knight began consulting with the assassin, but the assassin just ran a finger into her cain as if to shut her up, telling her to trust him on this.

"I don't like this brother..." Tiger spoke a low voice to Byakko. "They had enchanted their weapons with poison..."

"I know we are weak from it..." Byakko spoke back.

"Soooo...any bright ideas?" Tiger spoke in panic as the duo started their walk towards them...

"Hell, yeah." Byakko flashed a grin at him. "Try not getting killed..." He swept past him, taking on the assassin.

"You say such sweet things that makes me want to cry..." Tiger chuckled as he took his brother's beat.

The duo would have been surprised but readily took on the charge as a form of affirmation that both of them were going to take on them.

Claw and blade rang through the air, both brothers slashing fiercely at the assaulters. The latter seemed to be holding back, just taking blows but neither retaliating. The night air rang with the grunts and slashes of a late battle.

At a certain point, the assassin fought back and drew blood across Byakko's arm. Tiger had read a sense of horror across the knight's eyes before he struck her down, drawing speed and strength at the desperation he felt on seeing blood from his brother.

The assassin itself tried to take hold of Byakko, remorse seeping at his very actions. Tiger had nothing of this, and rammed the taller man aside. He took his bearings and managed to take Byakko in his arms, who now slowly began to grow quieter except for the minor grunts of pain and cursing Tiger thought his brother had no ability to do so.

Carrying him back to their room, Tiger took hold of all their belongings. Luckily, Byakko had earlier packed everything, so Tiger had the convenience of just snatching up two bags, almost forgetting to leave some zenny for their rent and for the damage they had caused.

Tiger started bolting across the rooftops, leaping soundlessly, brother and bags in tow. He had managed well enough to keep his weight in check not to cause the roof to buckle under their combined weight.

The assassin behind them was starting to gain towards him, gracefully following Tiger's lead, while the knight was following them closely below the streets, her Peco Peco grunting as she prodded it to go faster.

"Oh, shit. Damn them..." Tiger muttered a curse under his breath, not noticing his breath was starting to form mists across his face and snow began piling up into his hair.

Father Christmas came into view.

"Father Christmas! Father Christmas!" Tiger waved at the jolly old man, who seeing the acolyte waved back a surprised expression.

"Can you warp us to Lutie? Please?" Tiger was coming nearer to view.

"Of course, servant of God! Ho! Ho! Ho! Just climb inside my bag of presents, and what you seek you will find! Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!" Father Christmas opened his bag, to which inside a portal opened to allow entry for both of them.

Tiger landed with a thud in a strange snow-covered field.

"Well, that was a smooth trip..." he said sarcastically, rubbing his behind that had received most of the impact. A small moan however, took off the irritated tone in his voice and face.

"Oh, shit. Byakko...you okay?" Tiger walked towards his sibling, who began huffing slightly at the dramatic change in temperature and environment.

No response came from him except the deep breaths he took in. Blood began seeping up at his arm, and Byakko began starting to look pale as a Whisper.

"Damn this cold...I better move Byakko to a safer place..." Tiger took his brother in his arms as he laid him under the shade of a pine tree, keeping him in between their luggage to at least provide warmth. Tiger then began indiscriminately cutting down tree after tree with his bare claws, his seeming desperation at seeing Byakko all messed up providing him the strength and endurance to go on.

After an hour or so; a crude, makeshift lodge had formed out of the mountain of woodpiles Tiger began stacking up against each other. He immediately took Byakko and their backpacks inside, preparing a bed from out of the needles of the pines. Tiger also worked up a fire in the center of the lodge to provide essential heat, always looking back to where Byakko had laid. The platinum-haired acolyte had seemingly calmed down now and was breathing normally again, much to Tiger's relief. The snow outside had somehow developed into a mini blizzard, and the thought of leaving his brother behind while he would go to the Toy Factory to see Windstorm Knight was unacceptable.

Sitting beside his brother, Tiger rested his head in Byakko's chest, listening to the soft beating of his brother's heart, lulling him into sleep. The smell of the newly cut pine, the scent of burning wood, the heat of the fire and the nipping cold outside provided a plethora of senses that lulled both of them to sleep.

"Tomorrow...we go tomorrow..."

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"I still don't get it..."

Myashka walked back and forth across the inn, her eyes deep in thought as her chain mail rustled with her every movement.

Turning to her assassin companion, she thrust a worried look in her eyes.

"Why doesn't he recognize the both of us? And who was that other boy that looked almost just like him?" She finally blurted out her question.

Shadow Eyes, who was constantly twirling his Sucsamad in his fingers, looked up to the blonde knight before gulping down a mug of beer. Wiping his lips from the foamy residues the alcoholic liquid left, he voiced out his own observations.

"Byakko kept referring to him as his "brother." And the fact that both of them looked alike suggested that he could be his twin. But, what's bugging me is why are they here?" Shadow Eyes met up Myashka's gaze. "The last I heard from him is that he was planning to find his mother's card."

Myashka met his gaze as well, directing a bewildered look. "But from what I have learned inside the Prontera Chivalry is that the card is in the possession of a wizard, and that wizard is currently living in Morroc."

Shadow could only shake his head as Myashka took her seat beside him, facing the chocolate-haired assassin. A few moments went by before she took possession of Shadow, crashing her lips at the boy's own. Shadow took it very well before finally releasing the woman from his grasp.

"Ne, Myashka-kun. It's been almost two months, hm?" Shadow gazed longingly at the girl's eyes.

"I know, and to think I was a brash, hard-headed teenager swordie before..." She giggled apprehensively, remembering the days when she was still with Byakko, and her being "too annoying" and "over-childish".

"Now that we've found him, let's just watch over him for awhile. To see what he is up to." Shadow tilted his head to indicate he wanted to retire in his room now.

"Yes...we better do that..."Myashka took on Shadow's arms as both went up the dark stairs of the inn where they were staying...

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Ugh! Gods! I hate writing these things! Yuck! Myashka and Shadow! Right...(sarcastic expression). I promise never to write about this...this...awful event. Ugh...I feel dirty...

Promise...no more heterosexual things! This is a game for cryin out loud! o0;

No notes or things to talk about for awhile, so...I plan to update again by next week. My brain has been working preeeety slow this time and I don't have any plans of forcing it to go overtime.

I call the shots, not some other punk...he he he

Ja ne...


	11. First Encounter

Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Ragnarok Online. This is the property of Master Lee-Myoung Jin and Gravity Corporation. pRO belongs to its publisher Level Up! HOWEVER I do own anything within my sorry account, which means my character, is seriously mine and the character names I will use here are actually real people in the Philippine Odin Server. I'll have to give credit to them later on and I might mention some guilds, which are very much famous in our locale.

Okaay...don't look at me about the late, late, late update. (points at the bitch named Mental Block). But while I have nothing to do, and Juno is expected to arrive by September still, might as well anticipate the patch.

Nothin exciting, just wanna beat Ragnar to his number of chapters...meeep meeep!

Oh, and by the way, I'd rate this a PG-18 if there ever was one, cursing is evident in here...

Chapter 11: First Encounter

The wonderful aroma of vegetable stew wafted slowly across the cabin, bringing a painful groan in Tiger's stomach.

Stew?

In here?

Sitting up from his sleep, Tiger scanned the room from where the scent was coming from. True enough, the soft boiling of a warm soup in a clay pot was bubbling cheerily as he noticed his brother sitting by the corner, chopping some firewood.

Eyes met.

"Good morning, brother..."

"...yeah, good morning I guess..."

Byakko would have replied back, but somehow bit back the need to respond, tears and pain evident in his eyes. He slowly went back to his work and hid his eyes under his platinum locks of hair.

More silence...

"Y' made this, Byakko?" Tiger remarked as he sniffed the pot. "It smells good, y'know..."

Byakko said nothing, except for tears cascading slowly in his cheeks. Stifling cries of pain evident beneath every abated breath.

Tiger sat at his side, this time worry and anger hinting in his voice.

"Damnit, tell me what's wrong with ya! You keep on bringing up this sentimental mode of yours and I'll puke just like..." Tiger got cut off with a simple question.

"I'm useless, aren't I?"

Tiger dropped his jaw, stunned and a bit shocked. He never expected such a question from him; heck he expected HE was the useless one around here.

"No...you're not. Helpless, you are, but definitely not useless..."

"It's always me that gets both of us into trouble. And I always have to rely on you to get me out of it...I am so pathetic..." Tears flowed freely this time, moistening Byakko's acolyte get-up.

A loud slap.

Tiger's hand flew and hit Byakko's cheek straight and hard.

"What's wrong with you? Why do ya keep on thinking like that, huh?!?! So what if ya gets us into trouble, we both manage to get the hell outta it! And don't even come near the thought that ya aren't doing any good! Cuz' if you aren't here with me, I mighta as well wound up dead or helpless in the streets!"

Byakko turned his face to him, wide-mouthed in shock, yet still wanting to hear what he wanted to say.

"You have the experience to live in this cruel world, Byakko. And I have still yet to develop any trust for an outsider. You're the only one I can cling to ya' know. Without you, I am nothing in this world. And wasn't it your wish that separated us from the same body that imprisoned our spirits?"

He nodded in a short reply, as Tiger closed on him to give him a hug.

"Call it whatever ya' want, but I have the duty and obligation to protect ya. And only Odin knows that you are one hell of a crybaby when it comes to yer' emotions. So stop moaning like a Yoyo and give me that smile of yers I always like..." Tiger chuckled, ruffling the hair of his brother.

"I am not!"

"Oh yes, you are!"

"Says who?"

"Don't need to. Yer' showin' it."

"Argh! I concede on this round..." Byakko blew his hair in frustration, as he neared and took the pot off the bonfire.

Tiger snorted an amused growl. "Glad you did. If not, we would have had an endless quarrel."

"And Tiger..."

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for what you said."

Tiger just gave his the squinty-eyes look as he took the bowl of soup Byakko handed to him. Both ate quietly, not noticing that the blizzard outside somehow had cleared...

A few minutes passed by before a screeching noise made itself known.

"Awww, f..." Tiger retorted when an unusually large gust of wind blew the cabin away, snow and wind madly flying all around them. The fire blew itself out as three very large shadows came from within sight.

Byakko cursed the weather for providing zero-visibility, but nevertheless held up on his own, taking his side with Tiger. He himself started to wonder what or who was approaching them. Both can easily recognize scents of different creatures, man, beast or demon otherwise, but those had the vaguest of scents...

They smelled like the mountain water and snow, like flesh and blood...

The wind suddenly died down, the snow falling lightly in powder. The three shadows revealed themselves to the brothers.

"Cripes..." Tiger got one word out of his mouth.

"Master Byakko and Tiger, I presume?"

The cold voice swept across the landscape as both finally saw whom it was. Both lowered their defensive stances and went forward to greet the visitor.

"Garm...of the tribe of Hatii..." Byakko ran his hand across the icy wolf's mane.

The wolf's accompanying Hatiis dropped to their knees as Garm nodded in affirmation. He favored the brothers with a favorable glare.

"If I may be so bold, I ask of both of you to assist us towards the Toy Factory. Master Rudolph is expecting both of you since yesterday..."

Tiger stood up in front of the large beast.

"Rudolph being...lemme' guess, Windstorm Knight?" Tiger raised an eyebrow to the wolf, much to the amusement of Garm.

"How receptive, Master Tiger. Few have recognized my master's real name..."

Tiger winked an eye at his brother. "It pays to listen to Christmas songs." Byakko only gave a snort as a reply.

Garm's tone suddenly became serious.

"We must make haste, young Masters. My master grows impatient with each passing second. I advise you to ride amongst my tribe." he said, motioning for his two companions. Byakko and Tiger boldly sat into their backs as the rode like the wind across the frozen, snowy tundra that was Lutie.

"Soooo...you're the brothers I have been expecting...."

Windstorm ran an examining eye at both of them, his gaze fluidly going up and down both of them. Both felt uncomfortable, and Tiger would have given an arm to bash the lecherous MVP had not Byakko given him the "eye".

"You're gonna be the next MVPs?"

Both nodded at him, surprised by the skeptical look Windstorm gave both of them. They were even more surprised when Windstorm rolled on the floor, clutching his stomach and laughing off, looking as if his nose would have rolled off from the intensity of the laughter. His sword and shield fell noisily on his side as he rolled off to la-la land.

To which both brothers looked irritated and annoyed.

"THAT'S IT! I have the right mind to bash that silly nose off of your snout, ya mangy horned reindeer reject!" Tiger snarled as Byakko restrained his brother.

"Whoa! Down boy! Down! Sir Knight, my apologies about my brother..." Byakko said in frustration but was abruptly cut short upon the maddening glint that Windstorm developed after hearing the comment.

"Oh, a smart mouthed boy do we have here? Well then, I would like to bash that appalling goody-goody face of yours, but I would like to settle for your brother instead..."Windstorm smiled at Byakko, who stared in shock as is Tiger.

"Wha...Wha? Fuck you, red nose! It's me that'll pummel ya to bits an' pieces! You're a fuckin coward ye' are!" Tiger began struggling again at his brother's hold.

"Hmph! Simpering fool, I do realize that. However, I do know it will hurt you more if I hit on your brother would you? Besides, you're not my type anyhow..." Windstorm smirked, amused at Tiger's reaction.

Byakko relented on letting go Tiger, who stared wide-mouthed at him as he started the painful walk towards Windstorm. The reindeer raised a quizzical frosted eyebrow as the boy came a foot away from him...

And gave him the hardest kick right where Windstorm's you-know-what should have been.

Byakko looked at him, thoroughly disgusted. "That's for your yaoi thoughts, you over-active, frost-covered, mangy, hornball! My brother's right, I have the mind not only to pummel your nose, which by the way looks 5 sizes bigger than where your balls should be, but also you your prick of a snout which would look like a rotten cucumber once I am through with you! By Odin, I swear if all the MVP's acted like you do, I'd content myself with being a human..."

"Passed!" Windstorm grinned a silly smile as he waved a hand and a piece of parchment flew towards him. He deftly signed the piece of paper and after doing so, the glowing parchment vanished into thin air.

"What was that all about?" Tiger finally mouthed out, much to Byakko's agreement with him.

"It means both of you passed my test, silly." Windstorm chuckled, still amused by the brother's mode of suspension and disbelief.

"My test was about your ethics. At first glance, I knew Tiger was going to pass my test, but I had doubts on Byakko, who felt more soft spoken. If he went my way, he would have failed." He explained, sensing the brothers still didn't get it.

Windstorm frowned." I wanted to see how you would assess the situation. Tiger would go to it head on, and fight with all he can. Byakko would look carefully at first, and then rush into the heat of battle. Although Tiger possessed the common quality of an MVP's way of battle, I found my curiosity quipped by Byakko. I am...let us say..."interested" to find out when you two would become MVP's."

"Uhhh...thanks?"

"You're welcome." Windstorm chuckled.

"You're weird." Tiger quipped.

"I might be, but truth in all. I am not a yaoi fan, and Byakko, try not to make it a habit of kicking people's balls when you get pissed. My underside is still ringing from the kick you gave me. Those steel-plated boots are hard you know."

"I'm sorry.." Byakko blushed in embarrassment. Tiger laughed at his brother.

"I think you two deserve a rest, you have until 2 days before the respawning of Mistress, in the meantime, stay here and enjoy. The Cookies and Cruisers will attend to your needs. I have to attend to some minor business..."

"Oh and by the way," he threw a necklace with a vial as a pendant." Here is the relic that Lord Sakray prescribed...I'll see ya when I can" Windstorm Knight grinned, vanishing with the wind as his cloak flew by.

[Received Water of Efreet 1-ea]

"So, Byakko...let's rest for awhile?" Tiger asked him.

"Might as well." Byakko grinned foolishly.

Argh! The other fics I'm reading is getting to me! Now to face the horrible bitch that is Mental Block again. Ugh, I hate hetero. And sowee, no Myashka and Shadow yet, I'm still pukin' at the at the horrible thoughts when I wrote it...


End file.
